


The Road to Lintukoto

by FanFicReader01



Category: Poets of the Fall
Genre: Adventure, Attempt at Humor, Con Artists, Exploration, Exploring, Gods, Journey, M/M, Multi, Mythology - Freeform, Pretend, Road to El Dorado - Freeform, Shenanigans, accuracy is not existent, friends - Freeform, jari is gay, jaska and olli are gay for each other and for jari lol, obviously this is el dorado but with finnish twists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-11-14 21:47:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 24,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18060764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: Olli and Jaska are poor conmen swindling through life together. One day, they’re gambling with the wrong folks who offer them a special map that leads to the mythical city of Lintukoto (Home of the Birds)It’s a special land, rumoured to be warm throughout the entire year, unlike the Finnish cold lands. It’s also the place where all birds live peacefully together under the sun. Lintukoto has a rich soil. But what most fortune seekers are really interested in, is Lintukoto’s rumoured Sampo: the magical artefact that brings gold and fortune to the holder of this artefact.





	1. The mythical land of Lintukoto...

**Author's Note:**

> Is this basically Road To El Dorado (2000 movie) rewritten for a PoTF Fic? Absolutely!  
> Did I use some superficial facts and ideas and concepts from Finnish mythology and history? Yep.  
> Will it be accurate? Not at all. 
> 
> I'm a lazy researcher so I put my own twists on it so it fits the plot I want hehe.
> 
> Do I actually care? I shouldn't lol

_Once upon a time there was nothingness. Just a large, dark void also known as space._

_Then, the world came to be thanks to a pochard egg. The sky was made of the upper cover of said egg. Some people believed the sky to be some sort of humongous tent which got uplifted by a big column which stood at the centre of the north pole, right underneath its star: the north star._

_All other stars were moved by the rotation of the sky-dome around the North Star and itself. This caused a great whirl and through this special whirl, the souls of the deceased could travel to the land of the dead: Tuonela._

_While the sky was much of a dome, the earth itself was flat. At the very edges of this soil, laid Lintukoto: the home of the birds. It was a magical, warm place. Never has it seen frost during the harsh winters Finland is actually known for. At this place, all birds could live in peace under the ever warm sun when the winter lands got too cold for their feathers to bear._

_Above it all, laid the Milky Way: Linnunrata which meant the path of the birds. This was the special route that birds flew along to get to Lintukoto._

 

\--

 

However, now that the world is modernizing, the birth of the world has been laid off as a mere fairy tale. It’s something people no longer believe: after all people have been believed to travel to the edges of the world without falling off of it. And until this day, people actually keep exploring new parts of the world.

 

And yet there are some people who still believe Lintukoto is real and not some mythical place, only found in dusty history books that are now outdated.

Some people still believe in this magical promised land where the sun always shines. And it’s not only for that warmth these people are interested in Lintukoto.

No, no. In fact, they are interested in the magical artefact that is rumoured to be hidden in Lintukoto: the Sampo. Nobody really knows what the artefact looks like. Only everybody, who still believes in it, knows that the Sampo brings great fortune and solid gold to the owner.

 

**_But, until this day, nobody has ever found the mythical land of Lintukoto…._ **


	2. Finland: present day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The present day is still undetermined, but it certainly isn't set int eh 21st Century

It’s crowded at the harbour. Young and old have gathered but _especially_ the men. The obvious reason for the mass to gather at the scene, is the ominous present of Petri Suomi.

 

Petri Suomi is an intimidating man. He has a thick, dark ring beard and strong eyebrows. His overall look is rough and angry. His shape is broad and wide. It isn’t surprising that he is a military man. In fact, Suomi is _the_ leader of New Finnish Conquerors. It’s been months since he and his men have been planning on going on a new expedition. It’s finally time for those plans to be executed.

And thus Suomi wears his special armour with proud. The shining chest plate glimmers underneath the sun. He is seated on his horse, making him even taller than he already is. He towers over his people with a satisfied smirk plastered on his square jaw.

 

“Tonight we will sail across the seas and conquer new land!” the brute man announces in a loud voice. He takes out his sword and points it across the horizon to add to his speech. Then he raises his glass of wine and people cheer him on. He revels in the praise he is already getting. Canon shots go off as celebration but it startles his horse which prances in sudden shock of the loud noises.

Suomi has to firmly hold onto the reins in order to not fall off his horse. In doing so, he accidentally spills some of his wine on his armour and curses.

 “Ukko, you idiot horse!” he hisses in annoyance before correcting the animal’s stance.

Suomi eventually throws the cup against the wall, drenching the wanted poster of two young men in spilled wine.

 

\--

 

Not so far away from the harbour, those two young men on the poster are out in the streets, gambling. A small audience stands in a circle around them and their adversaries.

There’s a nice pile of golden coins at the feet of a certain Miika Hakala. He is a relative rich man and a famous upcoming writer. He has had the misfortune to gamble with the con duo that is Olli and Jaska. So now all that beautiful coin actually belongs to the duo.

Olli and Jaska are already celebrating the multiple times they’ve won in a row thanks to their dice. They even do some silly dance while Olli plays on his guitar. People are cheering but Miika and his men don’t seem too happy about it.

 “Wait!” he stops them, catching the attention of the duo. “One more roll.”

Jaska looks unimpressed before he bursts out in laughter. “Why? You got nothing to bet with! All the money is already ours!”

 It earns him a cocky eyebrow of Miika. “You sure about that?” Mysteriously he gestures into his jacket from which he then pulls a rolled up piece of paper. Olli stops playing the instrument and peers at the other blond man. Miika then unfolds the paper which is revealed to be a map.

 “I still have _this_.”

Again, the taller con man is unimpressed. He even crosses his arms. “So what? That’s just a map?” His partner in crime, however, is more than interested and immediately jumps forward. Before Miika can act on it, Olli has snatched the map from the man’s fingers.

 “Yeah, it is the map that leads to Lintukoto. The magical world of gold and wealth!” Miika explains with a shit eating grin.

“Oh my god!” Olli exclaims as he inspects the map. He grabs Jaska and makes him look at the map as well. “Look at this! This is _the_ map to Lintukoto! This could be our chance! Imagine us, discovering new lands and gold! We could be celebrated and-”

Jaska rolls his eyes. “So? It’s just rumours. Fairy tales mothers tell their kids to keep them quiet.”

 “But what _if_ it _does_ exist?” Olli looks hopeful.

The taller man then hisses in a whisper: “If I’d believe in miracles coming true I wouldn’t play with these loaded dice!”

 Olli gives his friend a pouty look. He turns his eyes into big puppy ones, starting to beg. Jaska only rolls his eyes more and groans. Before he can open his mouth, Miika interrupts them.

 “ _One last roll_ ,” he insists with a threatening voice. “My map against your coin!”

Jaska pats himself and coughs, looking confident. “Sure!” He takes out his red dice but Miika stops.

 “Not today. Now we’ll play with mine.”

There’s hesitation in Jaska’s eyes when he takes Miika’s white dice. They don’t feel as right. Wrong weight and such. He gulps and the other man notices. “You got a problem with that?” he snorts suspiciously.

 “Not at all!” Jaska exaggeratedly laughs before turning to his partner, showing him the _I-kill-you-look_.

Olli only shrugs his shoulders and throws an uncertain grin.

 

Dramatically Jaska shakes the dice in his hands and even asks some of the audience to wish him luck. They don’t want to help them in this so it’s all up to Jaska and Olli. Actually, mainly Jaska rolling the dice while Olli takes care of the background music.

 “Stop that,” Jaska hisses nervously.

The blond guitarist sighs before stilling his guitar. His friend frowns intensely before he goes in for the throw. “Give. Me. Seven!” The duo barely dares to look. The first die shows a surface with four eyes. the other one is still spinning. It feels like an eternity. Finally the die thuds down and it feels so dramatic. Through his fingers Jaska peers at the dice. A four and a three. Together that makes _seven_.

Euphoria crashes over the con artists.

 “Yes! We won! Oh my god, I actually did it!” Jaska exclaims before diving to the floor to collect the money and the map. In his drastic way of doing so, his loaded dice roll out of his pocket and onto the cobbled street.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by Miika who immediately dives to the floor too. With much distrust he slams his fist against the floor. The dice move but remain with the same surface up. Again Miika hits the ground and again the dice remain in their same position.

 “I knew it!” he hisses as he crawls back up. “These dice are false ones!” His men have now gathered around him and threatening to come closer to the con duo. Jaska quickly tucks the map in his clothing before facing Olli. He gives him an accusing look.

 “Y-You gave me loaded dice? How is one so bold to do so?” Jaska exclaims.

“What? Me? I had no part in this!” Olli snorts offended. He turns to one of the guard men bystanders and acts all innocent.

 “This man is trying to accuse me of cheating in a fair game! I would never, sire! Never!”

“Ha! Keep telling that to your mother, you fool!” Jaska calls his friend out. “En garde, I will now give you your deserved end!” The taller man also faces one of the guards and even takes the man’s sword from its sheath.

 “So that’s how we’re going to play, huh? Well, have it your way!” Olli shouts back. He also takes the other guard’s weapon and dares Jaska to fight him.

Their fight is orchestrated. It is fake but real enough for the stupid crowd to not notice. Slowly the duo backs off from the alleyway in their dangerous dance. Olli jumps onto one of the boxes that lead to a low roof. Jaska follows him while still pointing his sword in a threatening way.

 “You fight like my sister,” Olli taunts.

Jaska looks amused. “Good, I have fought her so that is merely a compliment!” He quickly joins Olli on the roof but the blond quickly overpowers him. The man swings his sword dangerously close to the dark haired man’s face.

 “Not the eyes, not the eyes,” Jaska hisses as a warning.

Olli disarms his friend and with both swords in his hands he faces the increased audience. They seem to be delighted but also confused. Jaska gets back up and together he and Olli bow as if they were on a podium.

 “That was an amazing afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! But we have places to be! Hyvästi! Hyvästi!” Olli declares. Together he and Jaska jump off the roof via the other side.

They land in someone’s backyard.

 “That was some amazing play,” Jaska praises his friend.

“No, you were good!”

 “Nah, you man!” Jaska bumps into his friend in a playful manner.

Their small victory gets interrupted by the snarls of something. When the duo looks up, they’re face to face with a large, angry dog. Olli visibly gulps.

 “Ehh, you got one of those other plans?” Olli whispers.

“Well…,” Jaska swallows. He gradually shifts. “You, ehm.. Go pet the doggie.” Olli isn’t sure about that but still stretches out his hand slowly.

 “While I-,” Jaska crouches up. Then he yells: “ _RUN!_ ”

Olli, realizing they won’t pet this ferocious dog for real, joins his partner. They scream loudly as they try to make their next escape. Luckily they find their way out but the dog is still following them. Once out in the street, they’re met with the angry audience from before. Miika with his group and the guards are at the front.

 “There they are!” he screams.

“Whoops, wrong way,” Jaska mutters before quickly running left with Olli right behind him.

 

“Shit, shit, shit!” Jaska curses as they’re reaching a dead end.

“Here!” Olli points out a building with an open door. They quickly run inside. The people inside the house are obviously shocked about the sudden presence of two men.

 They find a way to the backdoor of the house and are out on the streets again. It doesn’t take long for Miika and his group to catch on to them.

Once more, Jaska and Olli have to storm inhabited homes to make their grand escape. It’s followed by women screams or children cries and Olli constantly apologizing for their intrusion.

But they’re running out of time and luck. A dead end that leads to the docks. There’s not staircase or anything. Only two conveniently placed barrels with water underneath them.

 “I bet we can make it,” Olli insists.

Jaska is doubtful. When he looks behind him, he sees an enraged crowd, Miika in the front, storming them.

 “Two coins we don’t, he says before they make a leap of faith. Safely they actually land into the barrels. Quickly they put the lids on them. Through a small hole, previously stuffed with a cork, they manage to breath.

 “You win,” Jaska grunts.

“I know,” Olli sniggers. They decide to remain still inside their barrels, waiting till the danger is obviously gone. Much time to wait they do not get. Before they know it, they feel how their barrels get lifted by someone and then something. They’re raised high in the air.

 

Little do the two men know that their barrels are stored on deck of the main ship that sails out this evening: the ship of Petri Suomi. Now, however, it’s too late for them to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Ukko is the name of the Finnish sky and thunder god. It means 'Old Man'


	3. Welcome aboard... or maybe not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, sorry if the motivation is lower again and it takes me longer to evenn ge tmyself to sit down to write for this. But once I get writing, it's fun again :D  
> But yeah, stuff will take awhile

They tried and they tried but nothing they could do against the heavy weight placed upon their barrels.

So Olli and Jaska waited some more and more. When they were sure, it’d be late enough, they retried.

 “On three,” Jaska commands.

“Okay.”

 “One, two-”

“Three!” they yell in unison. Luck, or maybe not so, has it that at this very moment the box gets removed from the barrels and Olli and Jaska are able to pop out of the barrels with ease.

Immediately they’re met with the ship’s crew. Intimidating, scorching and fierce, suspicious eyes gape at them. Two men that look like guards, are approaching them.

 “Ehehe, we are ehm… the fishies that you ordered?” Olli pouts as he slowly lowers himself into the barrel again. Jaska does the same even though it’s in vain.

 

Before the duo knows it, they’re in the captain’s headquarters in shackles. They’re thrown at the floor and have to look up at the intimidating captain. The man stands with his back to them but soon turns around to face his victims.

 “It’s Suomi,” Olli gasps in awe and fear. Jaska visibly gulps and ran out of words.

The leader of the New Finnish Conquerors glares at them as if he threw knives at them. His gloved hands are clasped together. He cracks his knuckles, making the duo obviously wince.

 “Well, well, well. What do we have here. Stowaways, huh?” he says in a deep voice. His eyes go over Jaska and then Olli, then he looks back at Jaska.

 Before the tall con-man can say anything, Suomi interrupts them again. “You know I do not like stowaways, right?”

 “W-well, I guess,” Oli gulps.

“Good. This crew consists of viable, worthy crew. Each one chosen carefully, just like the disciples of Jesus Christ. And _you_ two, are definitely not one of them. But do not worry, I’ll make sure you’ll have plenty of work to do once we arrive in the new world. You will work the new lands like slaves until your pathetic bodies decay of exhaustion.”

 “At least we can see the new lands, right?” Olli says right before they get thrown in the jail, right underneath the main deck.

 

\--

 

A few days later on the main deck, the guy responsible for the food for the animals, is carrying around a large bowl full of fresh apples. Suomi’s horse is obviously thirsting after the food. So far it has only gotten dry food. The animal tries to come closer to the man who pulls away.

 “No, not today, Ukko! Your master put you on a diet, remember?!” The man argues as he quickly walks away. One of the apples falls on deck and slowly rolls down to the bars of the jail. The horse looks dumbfounded how his favourite snack falls down.

 

Around the same time Jaska is still figuring out a plan to escape. Jaska is thinking thoroughly as he keeps hitting his head against a wooden beam.

 “What are you doing?” Olli snorts at his friend.

“I’m… Thinking,” Jaska replies absently. He continues his hitting until he gets an idea. He dives to the floor and drags Olli with him.

 “I got it!” the taller man explains excitedly. He quickly looks around for props to support his plan visually. He takes the iron cup and some old coins he found in the jail.

 “At night, we steal one of those small boats. We grab some provisions,” Jaska illustrates by using the coins as provision and the cup as the boat. He then smashes the cup with its content across the floor.

 “And then we row back to Finland!”

“Oookay,” Olli stares at the fallen cup. “So, how do we get on deck?”

 “We steal some provision. Get that boat and row back to Finland,” Jaska repeats. It makes his friend roll his eyes.

 “And how do we get on deck?”

Jaska only seems to repeat himself and Olli interrupts with a frustrated frown. “That doesn’t explain the basic start: getting out of here!”

 “Then what’s your idea, smartass?” Jaska groans.

“I-” before he can finish his sentence, a fresh apple falls on Olli’s head. “Hey?!” It’s followed by the neighing of the horse.

 “I got an idea I think!” Olli says. He gestures his friend to lift him up so he can see outside their confinement and onto the deck. Jaska with nothing else to really do, helps his partner.

 With the constraints of the bars, Olli can’t pop his head out of it, but his hands have enough space to do so. He heaves up his arms with the apple in his hand. He sees the horse approach in all curiousness.

 “Hey, Ukko! Who’s a good boy? It might be you!”

Again, the animal neighs.

 “You want this little apple?” Olli points at the fruit. Ukko shakes it head and even staggers a little.

“Good! You can get it, but first you need to find me something!”

 “What the-,” even for Olli, this is ridiculously stupid, Jaska thinks. Besides, the other man is leaning hard on him now.  Meanwhile the blond explains the horse what a prybar looks like.

 “Olli, the fuck?! You’re talking to a fucking _horse_! There’s no way it will understand what a pry bar-”

Something gets dropped in the cage. It’s the ring of keys. Olli jumps down his friend and gives him a smug grin. Jaska sighs. “Guess that’s even better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost time for their escape >:D


	4. The not so sweet escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I saw chance for this chap's title and I took it. :sunglasses emoji:

At night, when everyone’s asleep, the duo makes their escape. Jaska tilts his friend up who uses the keys to unlock the door. After that’s done, he sneaks up on deck and helps Jaska get out as well.

While Jaska is secretly plundering some provisions, Olli is looking for a rowboat they could use. He finds the right one and gets startled by a bump in his back.

 “Oh, hey, Ukko. Thanks for helping us out!” he whispers to the horse. Jaska finally gets out with a large back of food and other necessities.

 “Hey, let’s go now!”

“Alright, alright. I see you around, Ukko!” Olli nods at the horse before he joins his friend in the boat. However, Ukko doesn’t seem pleased about the two men leaving and starts making a scene as the duo lowers their boat onto the water.

 “Make that horse shut up!” Jaska hisses. “It’s going to wake the whole crew!”

“Oh, I remember!” Olli exclaims. He takes out the apple which he forgot to give. Ukko loudly whinnies and staggers around the deck. Jaska snatches the apple out of his friend’s hands and throws it at the horse.

 “Let’s go,” the taller man huffs. They’re almost at sea with their boat. Meanwhile the apple Jaska threw, flies swiftly through the air. Ukko follows the snack carefully as it bounces up and down the ship in a miraculous, almost unbelievable way. It’s definitely defying gravity and the basics of physics here.

 Olli and Jaska witness the apple fall into sea. It takes them a moment before they realize that’s _bad_ news. Not late after the apple, they watch as the horse follows, landing with a loud smash into the water.

 “Oh my god,” Jaska exclaims.

“Ukko!” Olli yells before jumping after the horse to save it. His colleague groans in more frustration. He loosens the ropes of the boat quicker and lands into the water as well.

 

“I-, I’ll save you, U-Ukko!” Olli sputters as he faces the strong waves. He manages to swim to the horse and grab its reins to keep it close.

 “I got you, I got you. Let’s go to the boat,” the blond says, slowly retreating.

“Quickly, Olli! Get in!” Jaska shouts at his friend, already holding out a hand. Olli tries but Jaska looks upward to see the ship of Suomi and his men make a giant wave. The whole boat, the men and the horse included capsize in an instant. It’s really chaotic and disorientating.

Both Jaska and Olli emerge from the water at the same time. The boat now serves as a capsule around them. After them, the horse gets its head out of the waves.

 “W-We need to-,” Jaska gestures for them to turn the boat around again.

Olli understands.

 “You get the reins of the horse. I get the rope of the boat,” Jaska orders. Together they swim underneath the boat. Olli holds the horse close to him. The taller man already stands on the boat.

 “Great work,” Olli smiles as he gets pulled up.

“On three we pull these ropes and turn the boat around,” Jaska then says. Much time to anticipate is not existent. The second ship of the Suomi’s armada, closes in on them, causing yet another giant wave.

 “THREE!” Jaska screams and they pull.

After the ships have passed them and they’re back in the boat, Jaska screams to the nights sky. Olli groans and the horse sits in the front of their small boat. It’s seen eating some of the provisions.

 “Great!” Jaska snorts, giving Ukko an offended look to which the horse does not give a fuck. First of all, it does not completely understand the human. Two, it’s a fricking horse.

Nervously, Olli laughs about it all.

 “What?”

“The horse at most of our provisions and now we’re also stuck with it,” Jaska huffs.

 “It could’ve been worse,” Olli cracks an uncertain smile.

He should not have said that. Rain starts pouring over them and Jaska scowls his friend.

 “ _Worse_ you say?”

 

\--

 

Days go by but they keep rowing. The duo and the horse face off against the brutal sea and they survive getting swarmed by actual sharks. Hunger deprives them in the later days of any strength. Hopeful they ogle an unfortunate, exhausted seagull land on their boat. Even Ukko seems to be interested in the possible food.

 The hope gets eaten alive when a shark out of nowhere jumps the seagull before Jaska or Olli or even the horse could grab the bird.

The two men break out in crying as they’ve become more and more desperate for food or drinkable water. Sea water is too salty.

 Tired, Olli and Jaska sit back to back.

Wistful, Jaska looks at the bright, unforgiveable sun in the sky. “You know, Olli… You’ve always been a good partner.

 “Same, you’re my best friend,” Olli sighs in defeat.

“I-, it was a pleasure to be with you on this adventure,” Jaska laments.

 Olli yawns and nods. “Yep. It was great knowing you.”

“If only we had gold. We lost it all. All that gold and food,” the other man sobs.

 

“Dear lord have mercy and save us from this tragic, tiresome death!” Jaska exclaims, showing his fist to the sky.  Fatigued, he drops his fist into the water and suddenly the water feels sturdier than ever. Is he daydreaming? Is he slowly dying?

With a shock the boat comes to a halt. Olli has his eyes closed but carefully lets his hands touch the water which isn’t water at all. The duo looks down at the same time. Sand.

 It’s sand. They’ve stranded. On land! Olli gives Jaska a look. Jaska gives Olli a look. Ukko stares at the silly humans before jumping out of the boat as well.

With new energy, Olli and Jaska gratefully crouch over the beach and even start kissing the sand.

 “Mwhoa, mwhoa, AARGHHH!!” Olli screams and jumps in the air when he realizes he’s no longer kissing the sand but a _skull_. The skull belongs to an actual skeleton. An old sword sticks into its ribcage.

Jaska yells too and quickly runs back to the boat. Olli follows suit with Ukko right behind him.

 “Oof, it was too beautiful to be true,” Jaska sighs as he gets into the boat.

Olli, however, waits a second and calms down. He observes the landscape in front of him and sees something familiar. The large rock, covered by some flora. He’s seen it before and-

 “Oy, Olli! Are you coming with me or not? Even Ukko here thinks it’s better to leave this place behind!”

“W-wait,” Olli mutters. He quickly takes out the map of Lintukoto.

 “What? Of all things you still have that stupid thing?” Jaska’s jaw drops in astonishment.

“Oh…my… Jaska!” Excited like a child, Olli spins around to face his friend again. “Look at that rock! It’s _the_ rock from the map! We’re here! We’ve found the land of Lintukoto!”

 Jaska is unimpressed.

“Come on, Jaska! This is our chance to prove everyone wrong! To show them Lintukoto _is_ real!” Olli clutches the map in his hand like it’s a beloved one. Tears of joy spring into his eyes as he hops from one foot to the other. The tiredness of a few seconds ago, seem to have completely vanished.

Unable to get the smaller man back in the boat, Jaska steps out and looks at the map himself. Olli is _right_. This rock _does_ look similar to the one depicted on that map.

 “No, no, no, no. We’re not doing this. We’re going back to Finland,” Jaska shakes off the hopeful thoughts and walks back to the boat. He gestures Ukko to do the same.

Olli stops him. “But imagine, Jaska! Just _imagine_! We find Lintukoto, we steal the magical Sampo Artefact and become the richest men of Finland! And the most famous! Imagine, there must be so much gold. We can basically wish for as much as we want! Golden walls, golden clothes, you can even scratch the gold off the cobblestones!”

 Jaska’s vision goes blank and for an uncareful sec, he imagines all. The imaginary gold almost glitters in his eyes.

 “We gather the gold, steal the Sampo and _then_ we row back to Finland!” he repeats his friend’s words.

Olli heavily nods.

 “Alright, partner! Where to then?” it’s said with some sarcasm.

The blond seems to hesitate. He runs back to the skeleton and takes out the sword. “Follow me!”


	5. Trail we blaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all listen to Trail we blaze by Elton John to get urself in the adventure exploration mood!  
> Yeehaw. It's actual part of the Road to El Dorado Soundtrack :sunglass emoji:

The next days are spend traveling and exploring the island together. Often Olli holds the map, trying to figure out where to head next. He’s also the most enthusiastic about the situation.

The nature here is exotic and foreign to them. So there’s much more to see and hear and feel than just looking for the actual Lintukoto.

 

***

 

“Would you look at these flowers!” Olli is crouched next to a whole flower bed. Ukko stands next to him and also sniffs the flowers.

 “Oy, oy, I wouldn’t do that!” Jaska runs toward them. “What if they’re poisonous?!”

“Only one way to find out,” Olli smirks as he plucks a violet flower. He proceeds to open his mouth but before he can actually consume anything, Jaska has snatched the thing from his mouth.

 “You idiot!”

“I was just joking,” Olli pouts. He gets back on his feet and takes out the map again. “We should continue.”

 

***

 

Somewhere along their path, they come across a muddy looking swamp. The stench is almost unbearable. Even the horse seems to refuse crossing the lake.

 “We have to,” Jaska sighs as he’s rolling up his sleeves of his pants. “There’s no other way around it.”

Olli ogles the vague map and realizes it’s indeed the only way.

 “You’ll be fine,” he reassures the horse.

Luckily there are stepping stones for them to jump on but they’re slippery. Jaska goes first. With a large stick he found earlier on, he tests the slimy waters. There seems to be nothing in there. It should be pretty safe and-

 “Jaska!” They’re half way when the taller man missteps and falls into the swamp. Olli skips two stones to reach his friend faster. Ukko makes worried noises. All are relieved when Jaska emerges again. He’s spluttering and cursing as he climbs back onto the rocks.

 “Are you hurt?” Olli stammers in shock.

Jaska shakes his head. “I’m probably only bruised. And soaked.” He makes a disgusted expression.

 

Apparently Jaska _did_ get hurt. Treacherous leeches had sucked themselves onto his back while he was in the stinky swamp. After he took off his shirt to get it washed, Olli shrieked when he saw the leeches on his partner’s back.

 “I-, I’ll help you,” he stutters. Jaska thanks him but during the act, he’s not that happy.

The dirty worms are a pain in the ass to remove. They leave red spots on Jaska’s back. While the taller man tries to calm down and let his skin rest, Olli is in desperate search of herbs that might help against the rash. The blond finds some leaves he can use to soothe some of the burning pain.

 

***

 

A few days later, Jaska no longer has irritations from the annoying leeches, leaving both men relieved. It’s already night when they plan their next sleeping spot. The guys end up in a large cave. It’s dark but a few holes and wide cracks provide enough moonlight to fall into the rocky construction.

 “Look!” Jaska suddenly points out.

Olli looks up at the ceiling. There’s a large hole in the shape of an eagle or some sorts. When he looks at the map, he sees the same shape. They’re on a good trail.

The cave is warm enough, and the sand provides a soft bed for the men to lay on that night.

 

***

 

During the trip through the wild landscape, there’s also some dispute.

 “You’re holding the map in the wrong way!” Jaska snarls.

“Then why don’t you do it, mister know-it-all!” Olli snaps back.

 “Good, follow me!” Jaska pushes his partner to the background as he heads off first. Ukko calmly follows the couple from a safer distant.

While Olli uses the old sword to cut down some obstacle plants, he’s unaware how he accidentally cuts a snake in half that just tried to attack an exotic animal: an armadillo. The poor creature falls out of the tree and onto Ukko’s back. Desperately the small animal holds onto the manes of the horse. Ukko doesn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, it seems happy to have a new animal companion.

 

Once they make a stop, Jaska seems to look less tense. He’s also less angry than before.

 “Hot springs!” he exclaims with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Nice!” Olli says. “Be careful for leeches though.” That earns him the middle finger from his friend. He decides to check the water first and puts his hand inside it. “Safe enough.”

The blond man walks back to Ukko and finally notices the armadillo. “Hey there, buddy. Are you stranded too?”

 “Are you talking to another animal?” Jaska ogles his partner who is having some chitchat with the armadillo.

“Look, Jaska, this is our new companion: Tapio!”

 “Did you just name a  strange animal?” Jaska peers at his friend who’s obviously excited about the new addition to the group.

“Yes. Now we’re no longer strangers,” Olli smiles. He gestures to himself. “I’m Olli. And that’s my partner Jaska Mäkinen. He can be a bit grumpy, but most of the time he’s a nice guy.”

The taller man rolls his eyes before he dramatically takes a bow to introduce himself to ‘Tapio’.

 

After their initial meeting with the new animal, Jaska and Olli get rid of all their clothes to then jump into the hot springs. It’s a nice change of pace. No danger, no sneaky leeches catching them in their butts. Just serenity. Even Ukko is silent now. The horse has laid itself a few meters away from them, as if to give them the necessary privacy. Tapio is with Ukko.

 “Are you some animal whisperer?” Jaska chuckles.

His friend shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe, maybe. You just got to be nice to animals. Don’t treat them as if they’re stupid, you know.”

 “Aah, this is the life, Olli” Jaska sighs and grunts in satisfaction. He rests his head against the corner of the spring. “I hope we’re getting closer to Lintukoto, though.”

Olli nods and slowly sinks a bit deeper into the warm water. Both men close their eyes for a second. The silence gets interrupted by shrieking noises that seem to get closer and closer. When the blond opens his eyes, two gleamy black eyes stare back at him. Monkeys have gathered around them.

 “Hey there,” Olli smiles at them. His partner doesn’t look as happy with the new company.

“Are we going to adopt them too?” he sarcastically ask.

 “Nah,” Olli chuckles.

The monkeys seem to be curious. Curious about the humans’ clothes. Jaska keeps an eye on the animals and almost immediately shoots in action when one of the monkeys runs away with his shirt. Olli laughs at the sight but quickly joins his partner, frustrated, when his own clothes get snatched away by the monkeys as well.

 “Hey! Come back! Give it back!”

“Where are you animal whisper skills now?” Jaska shouts at Olli.

 “Didn’t you just joke?” Olli exclaims.

Ukko, who’s aware of the situation, decides to join its masters. The intimidating presence of the horse makes the Monkeys run away, dropping the men’s clothes.

 “Next time we secure the clothes with Ukko,” Jaska declares and Olli agrees without arguing.

 

***

 

To all adventures come an end eventually. Jaska, Olli, Tapio and Ukko are travelling once more. They’ve survived some tropical rains and the hot temperatures during noon.

They’re travelling on the right road as Olli sees the similarities between the map’s focal points and the real life versions of it. Their excitement, however, blinds them for a trap of nature: a not so strong tree trunk. The old log gives away underneath their feet and they fall down into the abyss.

 Olli shrieks as he holds onto Jaska. Jaska screams in fear. Tapio clutches its small paws onto Ukko who also neighs in fear.

 Then everything goes black for the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Tapio is the name of the god of the forest in basic Finnish Mythologie :dirtymoonemoji:


	6. This is... Lintukoto?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the movie it's indeed a big rock with a depiction of the Gods.  
> Here, the stone is specifically a runestone becos Vikings and history shizzle :') to make it a bit more fitting into the more norse background of the story :')

Jaska is the first to wake up. The sky is grey and when he looks up, he’s surrounded by mist. He sees there’s no way they can climb back up. They’re deep down the island now. Jaska’s eyes trail over the direct surrounding. How could he miss this _gigantic_ rock in front of him. It’s large, enormous. He can’t embrace the darn thing with both arms. Carefully Jaska climbs back on his feet. His body still hurts from the fall. Quickly he checks on his companions. They’re still breathing, thank god. Then Jaska inspects the rock. Upon closer look, it’s actually a large _runestone_. Runes are carved into the stone. He has no idea what it says though. When he walks around the runestone, he sees a large drawing. It depicts a big four-legged animal. On the animal sit two humanoid figures. There’s something familiar about the print so Jaska takes out the map.

The endpoint of it, shows a big runestone. Jaska compares it to the big thing he’s standing in front of.

 “So this is it, huh,” he mutters.

A feeling of disappointment falls over the man. He quickly walks around the stone and wakes up his friend.

 “H-huh? Wh-where are we?” Olli is confused.

“We’re here,” Jaska smiles. Obviously it’s highly sarcastic but the blond doesn’t notice yet.

 “R-really?” It’s as if new energy has slid into Olli as the man jumps back on his feet. He too notices the runestone now. He runs around it a couple of times.

 “Where? Are we in Lintukoto?!” he stammers in disbelief. Jaska remains static but nods calmly. Too calmly. But Olli is oblivious about that.

 “Here. We’re right here,” Jaska smiles and taps the runestone.

Olli’s smile withers like a cloud drifting in front of the sun. “I-is-” He can’t finish his sentence because Jaska interrupts him harshly. “Yes. _This_ is Lintukoto, my friend. This is it.”

 “B-But,” Olli is in disbelief.

“Apparently,” Jaska coughs before continuing, “Lintukoto is just a big runestone.”

 “No, that’s i-impossible. T-this can’t be,” Olli mutters in shock. Jaska grabs him by the shoulders and stares him down with an intense glare.

 “ _Yes_. Lintukoto is just… ONE. BIG. ASS. ROCK!!”

The words are echoed into the emptiness. The harsh truth ripples through Olli’s entire frame, shutting him up for a solid minute. In the meantime Ukko and Tapio have waken up as well.

 Jaska walks over to them and jumps onto the horse. He cocks an eyebrow at his friend.

“Come on, don’t give me that pout. Let’s just go home. Hm, see? There’s a trail I think,” Jaska holds out his hand and Olli reluctantly takes it. He leans against Jaska in defeat.

 

Their departure is interrupted by strange noises coming out of the thick mist. Both guys stare at the mist and see a shadow appear out of it. Something or rather _someone_ is running toward their direction!

A younger looking man with long, brown hair bumps into Ukko and falls back. He holds something shiny in his arms, partly concealed by cloth. Fear is readable in the man’s eyes.

Behind him a bunch of taller men approach. They’re armed with swords and shields. They’re definitely after the brunet. The group of hunters are also staggered by Ukko’s appearance and they keep a safe distance from them and the animal.

 The young man, separate from the hunters, now looks at Olli and Jaska. He pleads. Then he suddenly throws the shiny object at Jaska who catches it in reflex. Jaska gives the stranger an offended look and throws the object back. The other man throws it at the taller man. While they play back and forth, the group of armed men close in on them.

 “Hey watch it!” Jaska snarls at the man at Ukko’s feet. By doing so, he misses and the golden object hits the tall man’s face and shuts him up. He rubs away the initial pain and then looks at the armed group with a nervous smile.

 “We, eh… are… tourists?” he hesitatingly says.

The group doesn’t buy it and threatens them with their swords. Their supposed leader stands out most: he is taller, bald and wears a furred cloak. He frowns at the duo.

 “Come with us,” he then commands. The duo is surprised to hear clear understandable words from the men that look so strange from them.

Under their leadership Ukko silently follows the group with its masters still on its back, toward a huge waterfall. In awe Jaska and Olli gape at the water curtain before actually going _through_ it. The young man that threw the object to them, is taken captive too  but gets to keep the gold artefact.

 The whole group than gets divided over a few open, narrow small boats.

Jaska, Olli, their horse, Tapio the armadillo and the captive guy all sit in the same boat. Jaska and Olli face the rower. They can’t see where they’re going.  The trip takes a few minutes.

Inside the cave, large statues are carved into the stones and rocks. Jaska seems impressed by the work. Most statues depict birds and falcons. It makes the duo feel very small.

 

Arrival at their unknown destiny is indirectly announced by the other captive’s golden object. Suddenly it’s shining brighter than ever. When Olli looks behind him, they just go through a curtain of thin, long leaves. Just outside a bright sun greets them. And that’s not all. A whole _city_ awaits the con men. Olli taps his friend to watch too. Jaska does so and his jaw falls open in utter surprise.

The water they’ve been on, comes out in a large, built water channel that guides them through a foreign city. The land is rather flat and the buildings here look rather mundane. Yet they’re impressive in size and what stands out most, is that most of them are made of _gold_. That’s why that stolen artefact was shining so bright!

 “I-It’s Lintukoto,” Olli and Jaska gasp in unison.

On the very opposite side of the water canal, a humongous towering building arises. In the further distance, a clear volcano is visible. It looks dormant however.

Finally the boat arrives at the foot of the towering structure. A group of guards keep an eye on the duo and the thief. The leader of the guards stares them down for a second before running away.

All the duo can do now, is patiently wait and pray for their lives. This must really be Lintukoto, there’s no mistaken in it.


	7. Arrival of the Gods

The leader of the armed men is called Markus Kaarlonen. He is the right-hand man of Lintukoto’s respected High Priest Jani Snellman.

After Markus captured the temple thief,  he did not know he would actually encounter the Gods. So this new, joyous news has to be reported to his master directly!

 

He makes sure the Gods are stayed put in the boat while he quickly runs toward the Priest’s own temple and headquarters. The man is sitting around his special cooking well as usual. He’s probably making a new brew.

 “Sir Snellman!” Markus exclaims, almost out of breath.

“What is it?” Jani snarls. He doesn’t like getting interrupted while he’s making new potions. “If you have not captured that filthy temple thief, you shouldn’t be here, Kaarlonen.”

 “I-, I did capture him. But while doing so, I encountered the Gods!”

“Hm, hm the- _THE_ _GODS?!”_ Jani immediately jumps up and faces his right-hand man.

Kapu intensively nods.

 The High Priest smirks in delight. “That is indeed good, Markus. Good news, indeed! Let’s prepare, shall we?!” He sticks out his arms and Markus runs toward the armoury and takes out a special mantle to cover a part of the High Priest’s chest. Afterward, Markus crowns the Priest with a large bear skull.

 Jani himself smears special paint underneath his eyes before he exits the temple with Markus obediently following behind.

 

***

 

Around the same time a lower guard goes to Lintukoto’s Head Chief: Marko Saaresto. He is in his palace, playing with his children. The guard, not to interrupt the children, whispers in the Chief’s ear about the arrival of the Gods.

 “I’ll be there right away,” Marko nods. He stands up from his throne and puts on his crown. It’s actually a large Sielulintu (soul-bird) skull. It’s a holy artefact that tells people that the wearer is wealthy, powerful and almost holy, much like the Sielulintu itself.

Marko then quickly tells his kids to follow soon before he descends to the public place to meet up with the High Priest.

 

***

 

The waiting is finally over and Olli and Jaska can leave the boat. They’re greeted by probably the whole human population of this place. The two most outstanding people are the two tall men standing in front of them. One is wearing colourful drapes and a long skirt that reaches the floor. More remarkable is the large bird skull on his head that serves as a crown. It’s adorned with large, bird feathers.

The man is accompanied by a more slender person who wears an equally impressive skull. It’s that of a bear. He wears a shorter skirt and no shirt but is covered by a cloak instead. They surely are imposing men and must be the leaders of this place.

 

The man with the bear skull steps forward and raises his arms high in the air to silence the crowd.

“Behold, Children of Lintukoto! The Prophecy has come true and now we are honoured with the Arrival of the Gods!” The people cheer and Jaska and Olli give each other a confusing look but try to play it cool.

 “My lords, my name is Jani Snellman. I am the humble High Priest of the miraculous land of Lintukoto.”

“And my name is Marko Saaresto, Head Chief of Lintukoto. How may we call you?”

Olli quickly looks at Jaska who nods in understanding. Jaska then thoroughly clears his throat before speaking up in his mightiest voice. “My name is Mäkinen. Jaska Mäkinen. And this here is Tukiainen. Olli Tukiainen.”

 To which his partner adds: “That’s correct. They call us Jaska and Olli! Olli and Jaska!”

“Mighty gods,” Jaska grins and crosses his arms.

The High Priest seems to want to say something again but then peers behind the horse. He scowls, quickly walks forward and grabs the thief who tried to sneak away.

 “Got you, you little thief!” he snarls at the smaller man.

“P-Please, I-, ehm, I had t-to-”

 “To what? Steal a holy relic from the temple?” High Priest Snellman snaps.

“I got a vision. F-from the Gods! They wanted me t-to guide them here,” the young thief stutters his way out of the situation while giving Jaska and Olli a pleading look. The two men decide to play along.

 “Is that true?” Snellman does not seem to be impressed.

Olli nods. “Yes, let him go.”

 The High Priest does so reluctantly while also rolling his eyes in annoyance. He pushes the thief away. “Good then. Now bring this relic back to its rightful place then.” Now the Chief speaks up.

“So, lord Olli and Jaska, what brings you here exactly?”

To which the High Priest quickly says: “We shouldn’t question their arrival, Saaresto. One does not question the Gods. After all, this is what the Prophecies told me as well!”

 “That’s correct!” Olli says. He points his finger in a threatening way, as far as you can threaten with a single finger. “Else… Else we will unleash a horrible power upon you and your people!”

The High Priest glows up, clutches his fists in excitement and exclaims: “Please do so, my lords!”

 “Ahem, if I may say something. I need to discuss some godly affairs with my partner,” Jaska interrupts the group before grabbing Olli by his shirt and pulling him away from the Priest and the Chief.

 

“Olli, we have to use our minds. Think about that little voice in your head!” Jaska hisses. He’s become nervous. There’s no way they could fake some powers they clearly don’t have.

 “Come on, this people seem less educated than our hometown!” Olli whispers back.

“But we can’t fake some weird supernatural phenomenon!” Jaska argues.

 “Then w-what should we do now?”

“You got us into this mess!” Jaska snaps.

 “Oh, so now it’s all _my_ fault?!”

 

The Priest and the Head Chief stare at the Gods who seem to bicker with each other. The tension seems to rise and so does the activity of the long dormant volcano close to their home.

Jani seems enthusiastic how the Gods are able to manipulate nature like that. Marko, on the other hand, is less happy about the roaring volcano coming back to live. Thick, black clouds get spewed out of its mouth in a dangerous warning.

 “Stop! That’s _enough_!” the dark haired God exclaims.

When the blond doesn’t seem to shut up, the taller man tramples onto the floor and screams.

  _“ENOUGH!”_ and just like that, the volcano swallows its own hazard dust and goes back to sleep.

The Priest’s eyes ogles the volcano and then the Gods. The Chief’s mouth hangs open in awe too.

 

When Jaska and Olli look dumbfounded at the volcano and then to the crowd, they’re dumbfounded again. The whole population lay on their feet, bowing in deep respect for the Gods’ powers. Even the High Priest and the Chief have bowed before them. Olli smirks and Jaska grins too. Together they heave their arms in the air and revel in this sudden attention. Them, actual slum dogs and con men, treated as gods in this place.

 “I am fully convinced by your powers, almighty Gods!” the Priest gets back on his feet. “But let us give you a rest now. We will send you to your own quarters right away!”

As expected, the largest building consisting of countless stairs, lead up to a temple on the very top.

 

The climb goes with much difficulty. They’re only half way and Jaska and Olli are already feel like dying. Ukko has even more trouble. In contrast to the Priest and the Chief, who must be used to climbing that many stairs on a daily basis. The armadillo has it easy: it still sits on Ukko’s back by the time everybody has reached the top.

Olli and Jaska make it just in time to look cool and effortless by the time the two leaders turn around to see where their Gods are.

 “Good. I hope this place is to your liking. I make sure this place is neatly tidied every single day, just in case the glorious day arrives we actually get a physical visit of you, the Gods!” The Priest boasts.

 “Oh, it sure is!” Jaska replies with a stupid wide grin on his face.

Olli nods.

 “To honour you, I was thinking we could prepare a grand feast for you tonight, if that’s what you like?” the Head Chief suggests.

That mere thought, makes the duo drool. Even Ukko suddenly feels starved. The Priest comes in between and suggests another option: “Or would you rather have a special ceremonial event?”

 The men give the Gods a moment to think.

Jaska and Olli give each other a look. “Both?”

 “Both is good.”

“Very well. Then I’ll get right to the preparations!” the Chief seems enthusiastic.

 “Good. We’ll give you some space now,” the Priest adds before the two leaders retreat from the private quarters of the Gods.

 

Outside High Priest Snellman looks over the city with pride. “Ah, I can’t actually believe it. The Year of the Bear has finally begun!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there are multiple things to unpack in this chapter.
> 
> Jani wears a bear skull because the brown bear, in Finnish mythology, was one of the most sacred animals to exist. So much, one could only actually use euphemisms to refer to the animal. Though that's not applicable here :')
> 
> Marko wears a bird skull. Birds were important for the human's soul to be grought to the body upon birth and to take it away after a human dies.   
> The Sielulintu is the soul-bird. The bir protects souls from getting lost in the paths of dreams. That's why people had wooden bird figures in their near environment so their souls couldn't escape.
> 
> This given fact explains also why Lintukoto is full of bird symbols and why there are also a lot of (exotic) birds at this magical place.  
> So Lintukoto's religion is based off this mythology a bit :')


	8. Make that three (Jaska's POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally we get introduced in the mysterious thief.

Once we’re sure the High Priest and the Head Chief are totally out of sight Olli and I burst out in obnoxious laughter. Even the stupid horse Ukko joins our cheering and jollily jumps around the place. Tapio still sits on its back and again, has to hold onto the horse’s manes for dear life.

 “Hahaha, they totally bought it!” I exclaim in pure mirth. My partner nods and wipes some tears out of his eyes. He does his unique silly twirl before bumping his hips into me. I do the same in response and high-five him.

 “We just get all their gold, get the Sampo, that they certainly possess, and get the hell out of here!” I say and my partner agrees.

 “Oh god, I can’t believe it,” he sniggers.

“Oh _Olli_ , I can’t believe it,” I correct him. “We’re gods now!”

 “You’re right!” Olli then jumps onto the throne of the temple and I join him. We flex our muscles and try to impose each other.

 “Jaska and Olli!” he exclaims.

“Olli and Jaska!” I say. “Mighty and powerful gods!”

Our private banter gets interrupted by a third party’s laughter. Behind one the statues appears the young man from before. He is chuckling amused.

 “Whoa, whoa, where did you come from?” I snarl alerted.

“Be gone, foul mortal!” Olli threatens the thief.

The other man isn’t impressed and rolls his eyes. Olli continues his lame threats. I poke him and hiss:  “Olli, he sees through us.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m only here to serve the _mighty_ gods,” the thief sarcastically replies, mimicking my friends taunting moves.

 “So why are you here then?” I snort.

“Don’t worry, I won’t snitch you two,” the man sniggers. I notice how he sways his hips the right way when approaching us. To be honest, this guy looks rather sexy. He wears revealing clothes. A short tunic that just reaches above his knees. The cleavage is also rather wide, making it so that when he would bent over, you could look inside and-

 “I’m here to help you, that’s all,” the man replies. “Name’s Jari Salminen by the way.”

“Help?” I don’t trust this guy. He’s a thief after all. Then my own little voice reminds me how I, in fact, am a con man. I’m actually as morally wrong as this local guy.

 “Yes, help. I think you two need some guidance in this new world. You may seem white like us, but you don’t do as we do. Also, you guys can be my ticket out of here in return.”

Warning signs form in my head. This guy is too much of a distraction for… me and… and mainly Olli. I saw him looking. I’m sure of it.

 

“No, no, no, no way! I’m sorry, _pretty boy_ , but you’re not part of our _two-men_ team,” I refuse. Jari seems offended and blows some hair out of his face. He crosses his arms, sighs and lets them fall again. He turns around in a rather suggestive way and slowly starts walking away. Olli looks sad when the other guy is about to leave.

 “Oh well then. Guess you know _all_ about our customs and rituals. About the holy holidays, the High Priest’s yearly travels to Tuonela and of course ‘Karhunpeijaiset’,” Jari scoffs.

 Well fuck, Jari has a point there.

“Okay wait! Let me discuss this with my partner!” I quickly grab Olli by his collar and drag him a few feet away from Jari.

 “Alright, you remember our original plan, right?”

“Yep. Get the gold, find the Sampo and go back to Finland,” Olli recalls. I nod.

 “Now, things are still the same _but_ Jari gets into it as well.”

“Alright, is that a problem?” my friend asks concerned. I shake my head.

 “Not if we play this right. Which means we have to be careful. Listen to your little voice, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

 “Good. And what does that little voice tell you?”

“Hmm, Jari is… nice?” I see Olli’s eyes trail off to the younger man standing away from us. I grab Olli’s chin and point it back to me.

 “ _Focus._ What does the little voice say?”

When my partner doesn’t immediately respond, I answer my own question instead. “Jari. Is. Off-limits. I don’t entirely trust this guy so we gotta stay alert.”

 “Okay, I see. Jari is off-limits.”

“Yes, he may help us but he remains off-limits. So no foolery with this guy, alright?”

 “Deal.”

“Deal,” I repeat with a smile and return to the younger man. “We’re in.”

 “Good! Then I’ll give you _these_ back!” Jari winks at me. In his hands lay my loaded dice.

“T-The, how- when,” I stammer.

 “You rather wanna know _where_ he hid them,” Olli mutters. I gulp at the possibilities. The guy doesn’t seem to have pockets on him and-

 “Ooh, guys, actually. It’s almost time for the Chief’s feast! You two need to get dressed as soon as possible!” Jari interrupts my escalating thoughts.

I don’t know where Jari gets it, but suddenly he comes off with a bunch of special attires he then throws at us. Jari sits by the entry of the temple and patiently waits for us to get dressed. Olli is already starting to undress and I awkwardly take off my pants while trying to cover myself with one of the cloaks given to us. Usually I’m not the guy to get naked in front of others. Only Olli is an exception.

 “Oh, I get it. I-, I’ll be waiting outside,” Jari sheepishly smiles before he quickly disappears.

 

“Oy, where does this have to go?” I snort at the long cloak. I feel like I just put a big ass blanket on myself. This looks ridiculous. Olli laughs out loud at the sight. I knew I looked stupid.

 “No, you have to do it like this, I think,” he mutters. He takes a closer look and helps me readjust the piece of cloth. Finally he helps me with my belt and pins a special adorned badge on my chest.

 “There you go, handsome,” he smiles and pats me on the chest as finishing touch. I blush at the small, but intimate gesture.

“You should look at yourself,” I wink back. He then hooks his arm into mine and gives me a questioning look.

 “Shall we?” I grin.

“Let’s go. Time to play gods,” he snickers amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts:  
> Tuonela is the world of the death. So yeah, Jani visits the Underworld yearly.  
> Karhunpeijaiset is Celebration of the Bear: It's when a bear gets killed and eaten.
> 
> Jari is basically wearing a sexy viking outfit lol.  
> Also, they're all very gay for each odda :') <3


	9. It's Tough To Be A God!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Listen to the _movie_ version of It's tough to be a god to get in the right mood :D

 

The con men step outside their temple and are immediately welcomed by the whole population of Lintukoto. They all wear their brightest, most beautiful attires or so it seems. What’s remarkable, is the bird returning as a motive throughout everyone’s clothing. Be it in the headdresses, the embroidery on a shirt, the actual feathers as decoration…  Also the bear is a recurring design.

Jaska and Olli themselves wear special cloaks. On their chest is a brooch with special embroidery on it.  Their headdresses resemble that of a bear and a bird. The golden stones are of course a status of wealth and power. Although the outfits seem heavy, they’re surprisingly light. It makes it easier for the duo to move around. Which will definitely be useful if they have to go down all those stairs again.

 

**[Jaska]**

**I hardly think I'm qualified**

**To come across all sanctified**

**I just don't cut it with the cherubim**

**The town's already on its knees**

**Being worshipped is a breeze**

**I barely know the words to any hymn**

 

“Are you sure we should do this,” Jaska hisses at his friend, still unsure. Olli, however, is already seen being honoured by the large feast that’s thrown for them. The smaller man is already jumping down the stairs to join the people at the foot of the temple. Jaska quickly runs after him, trying not to accidentally fall down all those stairs and look like a total ass.

Immediately everyone bows for them and Head Chief Marko greets them with a bright smile and open arms. First he gives Olli a strong hug and then Jaska’s next.

Before the tall man realizes, he’s thrown into a large circle dance. One hand gets grabbed by his partner, the other hand is hold by Jari who has suddenly come out of the crowd.

 “Come dance with us!” Jari grins. It’s been too long for the guy, since there had been a proper party.

Everyone involved dances as one and becomes one moving body and Jaska just gets dragged into it. Eventually his clumsy feet synch up with the others. He even starts to laugh the loudest.

 

Once the dance is over, a few locals come up to the con men and offer them a special, greenish drink. In fact, they offer them a whole bowl of it. Olli is the first to taste.

 “This is pretty good.”

“It’s the best drinks Lintukoto has to offer,” Marko proudly declares before handing one cup to Jaska.

Whatever’s inside that drink, it makes Jaska forget his worries for a solid second. Maybe solid minutes.

Ukko gets a taste of the drink too. That sneaky horse.

 “That animal of yours is so silly,” Jari giggles at the sight.

“T-that’s U-Ukko,” Olli hiccups. It makes the younger man raise his eyebrows in shock.

 “Ukko,” Jari repeats. He takes a long sip from the special drink and chuckles. “So the mighty God of the sky has taken the shape of this… this-”

 “Horse,” Olli fills in.

“Damn,” Jari mutters, once again taking a sip of his drink. “You truly are Gods.” For a moment Olli wonders if their new team player is serious or not. He looks rather tipsy.

 

**Listen, if we don't comply**

**To the locals' wishes I**

**Can see us being sacrificed or stuffed**

 

“Olli, get over here!” Jaska suddenly exclaims. The blond looks around him and sees his friend has separated himself a bit from the rest. Olli thuds down next to his friend and finally looks at where he’s pointing at. It makes the smaller man gulp.

Some of the locals are preparing a fat swine. With strong arms they skin the beast.

 “You see what I see?” Jaska seems sober again.

“Eh… Food being prepared?”

 “No! I see warning signs. These people aren’t to be messed with. Look how much stronger they are than me! And that says a lot,” the dark haired man hisses.

Olli sighs, stands up and is about to walk away.

 “Hey! Wait, what are you gonna do?” Jaska stammers.

**Let's be gods, the perks are great**

**El Dorado on a plate**

**Local feeling should not be rebuffed**

 

“Blend in. This is a feast for _us_ , after all!” Olli smiles, clearly worriless. He pulls his friend into the party again. Obviously, they’re the centre of attention once more. Children are running around them. Some of them cheerily ask them things to which Olli or Jaska give vague replies. The mothers try to collect their kids again and hush them.

 Jari is watching them from a distance and laughs when the local girls are now crowding the two fake gods. Both men are clearly enjoying this female attention.

 “Hm, being a god truly has its advantages,” Jaska smirks as he exchanges some flirtatious looks with one of the girls.

 “Sure,” Olli sighs. Back where they come from, it’s more difficult to hook up with girls or guys. Not that it was always necessary. Like hey, they had each other and all that stuff.

 

**It's tough to be a god**

**Tread where mortals have not trod**

**Be deified when really you're a sham**

**Be an object of devotion**

**Be the subject of psalms**

**It's a terrifying notion**

**All those prayers and those salaams**

**Any normal man would bridle**

**If he's forced to be an idol**

**And a normal man's exactly what I am**

 

The feast continues and delicious food is served. The Gods, Ukko and Tapio stuff themselves full. Marko recommends them the best dishes.

He keeps chattering on about the people and the best chefs of Lintukoto. Even though Jaska and Olli are already wasted and light headed by the many drinks and pastries they’ve eaten.

Next up, is some theatre play. Jari insists the two con men to pay close attention for the play is about Lintukoto’s history. However, Jaska and Olli seem too far gone already. The absolute drunkards.

Jari facepalms himself and quickly waggles over to the Head Chief.

 “I think the Gods are a bit tired, my Chief,” he announces.

“Oh, I see,” Marko mutters. He seems slightly disappointed but then smiles. “Alright. It must’ve been quite a long day for them and they’ve eaten enough, luckily. Alright, I’ll send them off to their headquarters.”

A group of Lintukoto civilians carry a gorgeously decorated palanquin to the scene. Too bad Olli and Jaska don’t have the time or consciousness to notice its beauty.

 Jari makes sure the servants bring his lords safely to their temple before going back to his own hideout. Tomorrow will be another challenging day, the young man knows. Because then, it’s the High Priest’s time to honour the Gods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, they were drunk af lol


	10. Tribute to the Gods! (Jani POV)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today, we'll look into the mind of the High Priest of Lintukoto >:-D

It’s early in the morning and I’m feeling better than ever. Not only have the true Gods of Lintukoto arrived with their equally holy animal sidekicks but now it’s also my time to shine. I awake as the first person of this land and make sure I look like my best.

I crown myself with the bear skull and make sure my ritual face paint is brought on with great care. While I’m attentively smearing a sharp line under my eye, I feel a sudden presence. It’s Markus Kaarlonen. My trustworthy right hand man. He’s standing in the opening of my own little temple.

 “Should I check upon our Gods?” he asks me.

I roll my eyes and put down the paint. Damn distraction! I turn around and sigh: “No. I will do that myself. You can go to Marko, tell him we’ll be ready soon. Don’t forget your own body paint.”

Markus nods and quickly leaves. Back to my preparations.

After the paint is done, I put on the bear cloak, much alike to Markus’ one but better. I look into a mirror and grin. The Year of the Bear has truly arrived and I’m excited to be the one to announce it. But first, this special moment for me to honour the Gods.

 

Before I can tell the Gods about my plan, I first go to the special hideout beneath my temple. A secret underground place where some of my less ethical rituals can be executed.

At this place I’ve also created a special portal to Tuonela, the Land of the Dead. Today the portal is closed but I’m very certain I’ll have all means to open it soon enough.

In this underground part of the temple I make sure my peace sacrifice is still in the right state. Once that’s done, I hurry up to the surface again and climb the stairs to the temple of the Gods.

Although I’m surprised that my Gods have such… mundane, human names make me feel less intimidated by their presence. But still, one should not underestimate their true powers.

 

I did not expect my Gods to be still sleeping. In fact, the sight makes for a rather inappropriate and silly picture. Jaska is snoring obnoxiously loud while the other God is laying on top of him. Drool is dripping out of the corner of his half open mouth. I wonder if I should leave them be.

  _No_. Now is the moment.

“Good morning, my lords!” I exclaim in a loud voice.

The Gods were not expecting me at all, for they jump a meter into the air and scream like little girls. I chuckle and sigh. “Do not be frightened, my lords. I merely wanted to tell you it is time for another special event that will hopefully honour you with all deserving respect!”

 Olli nervously laughs and scratches the back of his head. “Ah, but of course! We-, eh… We’ll make sure we’re dressed and then we-, eh, will join you!”

 “Of course. Take all the time you need. I’ll be waiting outside at the offering site.” I make a deep bow and slowly step outside the temple.

 

The offering site is not that far out of the city. It takes place upon a small mountain. A large, rectangular platform peaks out of said mountain. Underneath it, you have a massive, roaring vortex that will lead you the Land of Linnunrata: the rightful home of the Gods.

Marko and a large part of our population have already gathered on the mountain. I grin at the Chief who then rolls his eyes.

 “They will love it,” I hiss at him before cheering of the people announces the Gods’ arrival.

We all bow in respect and then it’s my time to announce the sacrifice.

 “My beloved Gods, it’s always such an honour to have you among us!” I exclaim and raise my  arms. “And today, I, Jani Snellman the High Priest, will bestow you with this generous tribute!”

Markus then arrives with another person. A large plate with a big sack on top of it, is brought to us. The sacrifice is put almost on the edge of the platform.

 “May I announce to you, my Gods, a peace sacrifice!” dramatically I point my open hand to the sack. Thanks to my magical knowledge, the sack then opens by my gesture. A human is revealed as the cloth falls down. As is expected, the human’s wrists are tied together and so are his ankles.

Cheerful I observe the Gods who seem to be rather shocked about the revelation. I wonder why that is but dare not to question it. Of course, Marko seems to be displeased.

 “Behold this human sacrifice,” I say and start pushing the human toward the edge of the platform. He is still in my power so he won’t fall into the vortex by accident.

I heave my club to deliver the finishing blow and-

 

“Wait!” Olli suddenly yells. I lower my club in surprise and stare at the God. He is frowning. “Wait! I-, ehm… I’m afraid I can’t let that happen!”

 “W-What?” I stammer in utter confusion. Why would the Gods not want a human sacrifice?

“Eh, well-, you see?” now the taller God comes in-between as well. He points at the sky. “You see, sir High Priest, the stars! The stars are not in position today!”

I look up at the sky and mutter something.

 “That’s right,” Olli joins. “The stars. Are not. In position. Not today!”

“I-, I must’ve miscalculated then. The calendar it should say-”

 “It is alright!” now Marko raises his voice. He turns to the Gods and away from me, blocking my vision of the two holy entities.

 “If this does not suffice today, may I offer another tribute?” the Head Chief suggests. Now he points at a building out which a few handsome women appear. They’re all carrying tons of golden objects.

The Gods immediately seem pleased and I feel like a fool, thinking they would want a mere human sacrifice. I clutch my fists in irritation. Damn it, Marko. Now that temple thief Jari pops up with some gold as well. Great. Really, couldn’t get better.

How did the stars not align as I thought? I feel stupid and silently retreat to the back scene where I observe in shame.

 

Marko asks if the Gods want the gold to be brought to Linnunrata. Happily the Gods shout a clear and loud YES! Of course, all that glitter and gold gets thrown into the vortex. Even from this distance, I can see the complete shock and disappointment in the Gods’ faces. Why? Did they change their mind?

I see Jari quickly run over to Marko and whisper something into the Chief’s ear.

 “STOP!” Marko shouts to the girls. “The Gods have changed their minds. They want some of the gold back in their temple. They want something to relish in for now! So, bring the gold to the temple!”

The girls do as they’re told and I huff.

Years I’ve waited for the Gods to arrive and now they look so… human. It doesn’t sit right with me.


	11. In the meantime

The trip was long, but Petri Suomi has finally set foot ashore. The sun shines merciless on his heavy armour but the man isn’t bother by some nature.

Instead he confidently steps into the new sands and scans the environment. Immediately he spots the small rowboat. As fast as his clothing allows him, he hurries toward the wooden thing. It looks damaged and upon closer look, Suomi notices a piece of clothing. Red cloth. Definitely torn off from one of those stowaways.

 “Well, well, well. Look what we got here, gentlemen,” he grunts in distaste.

Suomi did not expect those two fools to have made it this far. He would rather discover their decaying corpses really soon instead of finding them well and alive, somewhere int his big jungle.

He turns to his men and gestures them to set up camp. Tomorrow the real exploration will start.


	12. Our next step

After the rather grotesque attempt of the High Priest to sacrifice a human being, Olli and Jaska are laid back in their palanquin as they parade through the city. The cushions are utmost soft and comfy. Jaska swears if he’d close his eyes, he’d dream away in no-time.

 Olli is eating some juicy peaches while Jaska is trying to think of their next steps.

“We have to be careful,” he whispers to his friend.

 “Hm.”

“I don’t truly trust that Priest after I saw those acts. However, I think we can have the Chief on our side.”

 “Marko?”

Jaska nods. “Yeah. Maybe-,” he leans closer to Olli, “We can set them up against each other or something? We only have to hold out here for so long. Just do some godly dances, shalala, play along and then get the hell out of here!”

 “And how are we supposed to do that?”

“Jari could definitely help as well and-,” Jaska stops midsentence. He frowns deeply while also taking an own fruit and biting into it.

 

\--

 

“A boat?” Marko asks when the Gods have come to his headquarters.

Jaska and Olli nod heavily. “It’d be the perfect way to, ehm.. get back to our place!”

 The blond adds: “First we’ll set a, eh, horizontal course over the rivers. Before we, before we… levitate vertically into the skies!”

 “So how long would that take, do you think, my dearest Chief?” Jaska asks.

The other man mutters something and rubs his chin. “Well, building such boat of such structure could take weeks!”

The dark haired man looks disappointed by that answer. Marko isn’t stupid and notices right away. He repositions himself and faces the Gods.

 “But for you, my Lords, we can certainly rearrange it to be built in merely a week!”

“A week?!”

 “Or three days,” the Head Chief quickly corrects himself. He leans back and sighs.

“What’s the matter?” Olli quietly asks with genuine concern.

 “Nothing, I just… We just thought-, hoped you would stay longer with us, my Lords. Like, maybe for the next few centuries!”

Jaska and Olli gulp and for a second they have trouble holding in their laughter.

 “We would’ve loved to stay. But alas, our otherworldly duties call upon us. Though we’re certainly honoured to have been here in the wonderful Lintukoto for the few time it was!” Olli declares.

It turns Marko’s frown  back into a smile. The man stands up and claps into his hands. “Very well, my Lords. It’s time to build that boat for you!”

 

\--

 

Back in the temple, Jari greets the two men. He has himself seated on one of the thrones and waves at them. Jaska, while he was actually arguing with Olli, immediately drops his words and stares at the younger man.

 “Hello, guys,” Jari sniggers. He throws his bare legs over the arms of the throne and looks at the conmen.

 “What have you two been up to? I saw you walking into the Chief’s quarters.”

“We’ve been discussing our departure,” Jaska walks over to the smaller man and gestures to take his hand. Jari does so and Jaska pulls him toward him.

 “Over three days we’ll finally leave with a boat.”

“Ooh, thrilling,” Jari giggles.

Olli rolls his eyes at the sight of the two other men. “Anyway, what are we going to do in these upcoming days?”

Jari and Jaska part and the taller man quickly brushes his arms. “We lay low.”

 “Lay low?” Olli stammers in disbelief.

“What?” his partner raises an eyebrow.

 “Y-you mean we’re not going to explore the city? We still have to find the Sampo!”

Jari steps into he conversation: “It really exists, don’t worry about finding it. At the moment, the High Priest holds possession of it.”

 “Then we’ll just ask him!” Jaska exclaims.

“I thought you mistrusted him!” Olli points out.

 “We’ll figure something out. But if Jari’s correct, we don’t have to search through _whole_ Lintukoto!”

“Alright, what if the Sampo was just my excuse to roam around the city? What’s wrong with that?” Olli crosses his arms and fires a look at his friend.

 “We have to raise as less suspicion as possible,” Jaska reminds him.

“But isn’t keeping to ourselves just doing that?” Olli argues.

Jaska sighs. “Just keep it low. Gods shouldn’t mingle too much with the people.”

 “I’ll let myself out then,” Jari comments.

“No, you better stay with us,” Jaska immediately insists, leaving Jari surprised. “I-, we better stay together now.”

 “Whatever suits you guys. To be honest, it’s much an honour to be here with the ‘Gods’,” Jari flaunts, stepping back onto the throne.

 

\--

 

The following morning Jaska is basically swimming in the gold that’s been stored in their temple. He kisses each individual object and caresses the golden cups. When he finds some nice bracelets and a necklace he offers it to Jari.

 “Oh my, to what do I deserve this gift?”

“You’re one of us now. One of the richest people of Lintukoto,” Jaska smirks and winks at the younger man. It makes Jari blush. He quickly puts on the jewellery and Jaska approves of the sight.

Meanwhile Olli is looking out over the city. It’s such mesmerizing view. It truly takes his breath away.

 “So much unexplored land. So many people I haven’t met yet,” he muses.

“You’re not going outside!” Jaska reacts to it harshly.

 “Come on, Jaska! Wasn’t finding Lintukoto our _dream_?”

“Well, finding its _wealth_ ,” Jaska snorts. He grabs a few objects and embraces them in unison. “Now we only have to retrieve the Sampo and we’ll have even more gold!”

 “I don’t think it works _that_ easily,” Jari dares to counter. “I haven’t seen the thing in practice, but it leans itself only to an experienced hand.”

 “Which means we’ll have to win the Priest’s trust. And we’re _not_ doing that by being among the people,” Jaska stares at Olli.

Olli brushes his friend’s warning off and turns back to the city view below him. “Ah, what hurt could it be to just be there? If only for a minute?”

 

Now Jaska drops his gold and steps over to his friend. He grabs him brusquely by the shoulder and turns him away from the view.

 “NO! Absolutely not! Na ah, ah. We’re not going there, Olli!”

“Please!” Olli now begs, even on his knees.

However, his friend is equally stubborn. It stays a simple but hard no. This is where Jari jumps in all of a sudden. He places his hands gently on Jaska’s shoulders.

 “Oh my, Jaska. You’re a little bit tense, aren’t you?”

Quickly the older man turns around. “What? No, I’m not!”

 “Why don’t you come over there. Sit on the couch and I’ll give you a massage.” Without waiting for Jaska’s proper answer, Jari’s already guiding him away from Olli. He winks at Olli and gestures him to roam around freely as he likes. Olli smiles at Jari in gratefulness before heading off. Once the taller man’s seated, Jari’s hands return to the man’s shoulders.

 “I certainly feel a tight knot here,” he grunts.

“ _Ooh,_ ” Jaska groans. “Oh, no! Wait? Where is Olli?!” He wants to jump up but Jari pushes him back down.

 “ _Relax_ , Jaska! He is just looking for Ukko and Tapio. Those silly animals always running around.”

Jari starts massaging the other man’s back who then relaxes in response.

 “Hehe, Olli’s just like them, huh.”

Jari murmurs something before letting his hands trail higher, into Jaska’s neck. It earns him a deep sigh that makes Jari shiver as well.

 “Where did you learn this. You’re amazing,” Jaska sighs. It really feels _good_.

“Oh, a boy knows his tricks,” Jari chuckles. This seems like the perfect distraction and he also gets to be closer to Jaska. Truly perfect.

Before Jari knows it, the taller man leans in and steals a quick kiss from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get moar intense.  
> Anyway, the story has become a bit trickier now that the guys are really looking for one specific object to take with them, other besides the gold!  
> As that isn't a thing in the actual movie :')   
> But i'll figure it out, don't worry. We'll get there and it makes it also more interesting to write!


	13. The more I learn, the more I see

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 84 years it has been since i wrote on this :') my apologies.  
> School and work kept me very very occupied

[Jaska POV]

 

After some time my eyes snap open. I realize what position I’m in: sitting on the couch getting the massage of my life by Jari, a very sexy guy and-

 “Whoa! Wait a second!” I exclaim. I push the younger guy off of me and jump back to my feet. “We have to keep our heads clear! We have to think things through!”

 “Whatever, I guess,” Jari rolls his eyes.

“Look,” I point out the frescos in the temple. It depicts several imagery of this world. Some pleasant, some not. “On one side we have the all wondrous Lintukoto with all its gold!” I put the focus on the fresco with the locals bathing in gold and exotic fruit.

 “So?” Jari crosses his arms.

“But if we make _one_ misstep, we’ll end up like this! A painful, agonizing death,” now my hands go to the imagery of a random dude getting sacrificed and gutted. “Not to forget, Olli isn’t here. God knows what he’s up to and-”

 Now the other man shuts me up by putting his hand against my mouth.

“Hush, Jaska. You’re still so tense. Loosen up a bit. Olli won’t do anything stupid,” Jari sighs as he slowly puts me back on the couch. The massage continues.

 “You don’t know my partner. He can be incredibly stupid at times. At the least convenient times,” I groan.

 “Your partner, hm…,” I hear Jari mutter. He seems to become more distant as I close my eyes and let myself engulf in the strong hands working my sore muscles.

 “You two are pretty close, huh?” Jari continues.

I nod. “Yes. People like to see us as close brothers. But we aren’t exactly that.”

 “Ah, I see. So you’re more like lovers?”

Again, I nod and also hum in confirmation. “I guess you could say it’s more such partner thing, yes.”

 “Lovely. To have such bond with someone else.”

 

It gets quiet and I simply enjoy the massage. Suddenly Jari leans in very close and whispers.

 “What are we, though, Jaska? What am I to you?”

“First of all, you’re the greatest masseur I’ve ever known. I like you know your way around things. That makes a great addition to our team.”

 “Ooh, really?” Jari stands up, walks around the couch and thuds down next to me. He raises an eyebrow. “I thought you told Olli once to keep me on a distant leash.”

 “Well,” I gulp and look away. “Maybe-, maybe we can change those rules a little. I think you’ve finally earned yourself a sweet spot in our team.” With that being said, I pull Jari over for a kiss. Happily he returns it and soon we get entangled with each other.

 

[Olli POV]

 

 

While Jari is distracting Jaska, I make my sweet ‘escape’ from the temple. Finally I’m getting used to walking up and down all those stairs. With ease I find my way into the city. For the short time being here, I feel I haven’t explored half the island yet.

There’s a huge square made of wonderful white tiles that almost seem to sparkle little stars of gold dust. As I walk over the square, I notice something strange. It’s eerily quiet here. Where did all the people go? I look around me but there’s almost nobody to be found. I stand still for a second and then I hear some noises. Quickly I run toward its source. I see a civilian being pushed by some guards. The main guard with the fur cloak is also present. When he sees me he quickly bows before standing up again. “Oh, lord Olli! What are you doing here?”

 “Just going for a stroll. What’s going on here? Leave that man be!” I immediately showcase my authority.

 “B-but didn’t you tell people to stay inside today?”

“What?” I ask confused. I’ve been at the temple all day.

 “High Priest Snellman told me you said that. You know, because of the purge of the city. As is told by the prophecy about the Year of the Bear!” the guard explains. I frown deeply.

 “It seems I’ve been ordering around a lot, hm. You know what? Let me change one of those ‘orders’ now. You there! From now on, everybody is free to take a day off! Enjoy yourselves. Wander through your glorious city, have fun, play!”

The guards finally let go of the civilian, bow to me and quickly run off. I look at the main guard. He stands around awkwardly now.

 “What’s your name, by the way? I don’t think you’ve told me before.”

“I-it’s Markus, sir. The proud right-hand man of our High Priest!” I decide to keep my opinion on the Priest low and say nothing.

 “I see. Well, nice to meet you. You’re free to go now, too,” I smile at him.

“Thank you, very much, sir Olli!” Markus happily exclaims.

 “Just Olli is fine too,” I grin before going my own merry way again. Finally I see some residents come out of their houses. They all look at me with some fright but also great curiosity. I simply smile at them, hoping to put them at ease.

  _I’m no threat._

Slowly but surely the streets get crowded again. I’m drawn to the sound of music. It sounds like a guitar or some sorts. I decide to check it out and end up by a small river. A young man is indeed playing an instrument. As soon as he sees me, he quickly jumps up and stops.

 “Hey, wait! Go on. That tune you were just playing? Lovely!” I admire and carefully approach the man.

“Y-You think, sir? The High Priest actually forbids music to be played as much as I do.”

I frown. That Jani guy is having way too much influence on the people I bitterly think. Quickly I look around me. The Priest isn’t to be seen here. Heck, but I’m a God to these people. My words are superior to the Priest’s. Even he is bound to that.

 “You can play as much as you want when I’m around,” I smile at the guitarist. “You see, I think it’s wonderful you can express yourself through that instrument.”

The civilian’s eyes lit up. He looks like someone finally understands.

 “I’m a musician myself,” I nod.

“Please, have this humble guitar then, lord Olli!” the man bows and offers me the instrument. Some other people have gathered at the river as well now. I gulp and carefully accept the man’s present.

 A few excited kids stand around me as I tune the guitar.

Let’s hope this goes smooth like some of those scams Jaska and I pulled in the past. It does. My hands still know how to play the guitar. The music flows freely now and before I know it, a whole crowd has gathered around me. Little children laugh and dance. Some shyer kids clutch onto their mothers and fathers as they still watch with big eyes.

 

After some time I let the actual owner of the guitar pick up my rhythm. I get up and look for new places. One of the women offers to be a guide. I happily agree and let her guide me through Lintukoto’s wonderful landscape. We end up at an enormous hill. I’m actually out of breath by the time I’m on top of the hill. But the view is worth it. There’s a lake, wonderful flora and then I realize there’s also hundreds of birds here.

 “No wonder this is birds’ paradise,” I sigh.

The woman chuckles and nods. “Yes. This truly is _the_ place. Tell me, Lord Olli, are you any good with these fellas?” She hands me a large bowl with bird food.

 “I’ll try,” I chuckle. I get down on my knees to feed the smaller birds on the ground. They’re hesitant at first but when they realize I’m just here to bring them food, they become bolder.

They quickly pick at the grain. I laugh at the sight. Suddenly the sun seems to disappear. A large shadow is cast over me and before I know it, a huge bird with a long giraffe neck grabs a beak full of food too. I jolt and the bowl falls on the ground. I hear the woman chuckle behind me.

 “Those are the big birds. They mean no harm.”

“I see now,” I gasp. I pick up some of the spilled grain and put it back in the bowl. I raise it so the birds don’t have to duck as much. For a sudden moment I feel kind of sad Jaska isn’t here to share these experiences with me. He’s missing out on so much!

For a grim moment I remember how close he got to Jari. He kept telling me to keep a distance, but now he just seems to be _too_ involved with that other guy.

The neighing of Ukko takes me out of my thoughts. The horse is standing a few meters away from me. The kids seem to love him. They’ve braided some of the animal’s hair and even tail.

 “I’m coming,” I smile.

One of the kids comes over to me and shows me a ball.

 “W-would you like to play with us, Olli?” the kid asks.

“Of course.”

 “There’s a square not far away from here. You should come play along!”

Then another kid waits and gives me a look. When I don’t know how to react, it points at Ukko.

 “You want to ride the horse?”

The little girl eagerly nods. I look around to see if there’s a parent nearby. Nope. I shrug my shoulders, pick up the kid and put her on Ukko.

 “Be a good horse, Ukko,” I whisper at the animal and it nods.

Now two other kids want to be on Ukko too so I let them. They’re light weight after all. Together we go to the square where I’m up to play some ball games with the kids. It definitely earned me the approval of their parents. I hope it humanizes me. I don’t want people to fear me at all. As long as this lasts, I try to enjoy my time in Lintukoto. The sun shines bright. The children and I are playing. There’s music, the women and men seem to prepare delicious snacks. All is good.


	14. The horrific nature of humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More perspective from the High Priest

While the rest of the simple people have taken a day off while it should actually be a purge, I’m hold up in my temple. Even my right hand man, Markus, has decided to not show up anymore.

I wonder if I did something wrong. If I read the books all wrong. These Gods, they seem so different from what I expected them to be. The Gods for sure are unfathomable at times. I cannot deduct what their next step could be. To calm myself I look at the book of prophecies.

On one page, it tells about a new, foreign ruler setting foot on these lands. A man in a large, powerful armour and helmet. Surrounded by flames and almost equally powerful henchmen. It sends shivers down my spine. But maybe in a good way.

 

Eventually I put down the book and go outside. The sun is still shining bright. When does it really not? Except for the night of course.

Maybe it’s time to pay the Gods a new visit, to see what they’re up to. I really hope they enjoy their stay. To my own opinion, I think their temple has not been adorned with enough sacrificial props.

 “Lord Olli? Lord Jaska?” I reveal my presence.

I hear some noises but there’s nobody to be seen. “Hello, my lords? It is me, the High Priest!” Suddenly the taller God pops up from behind the couch. His hair is messy and there’s a strange blush on his face. Did he drink too much? In the background I suddenly see the little temple thief, who turned out to be an actual helper of the Gods, sneak away with a pile of clothes in his arms. Suspicious.

 “Oh, hi!  High Priest Snellman! So-, so how is it going?”

“N-nothing, my Lord. I was merely checking in on you two. So, where is sir Olli?” I quickly stammer. I shouldn’t pay no mind to a critter like Jari.

 “He is, eh, roaming the city a little.”

I see, and squint my eyes for a second. “But I hope you are alright?”

 “Yes, I am! In fact, your presence is much wanted now!”

That makes my eyes lit up in excitement. “Oh really? And what could I provide you with, my Lord?”  

 “Olli and I were actually interested in the wonderful Sampo. We would love to see it in action. To see how it works, you know?”

 “B-But was it not you, that build the magnificent tool?” I stammer in confusion.

“Well, yes. But it must’ve been centuries since I laid my hands on it,” Jaska sighs. He looks melancholic about it.

 “Fair enough, my Lord! I would _love_ to show you, as I am protecting it at the moment.”

“Protect? Where?”

 “At my temple of course! I have to protect it from the vile people outside,” I say. To that, Jaska doesn’t say much. Maybe it truly has been centuries since he’s been among the humans. It’s time to remind him how ugly these creatures can be.

 “Allow me, my Lord, to show you the true nature of the humans!”

 

I sway my arms around and create a large mass of smoke, surrounding us. Soon we’re in a spider web.

 “People can be like spiders. Weaving their own webs of lies!” I hiss.

With a swift move of my hands, the cobwebs are gone but the smoke remains. Jaska shivers. I decide to push it a bit further.

 I open my hand and using some dark magic, I hold an illusional rat by its tail in my other hand.

“Humans are like rats. Critters, carrying sickness with them.” Then the rat turns into a purple pear and I take a big bite out of it before spewing the nasty thing out to the ground.

 “Oh, ahaha, I guess so,” Jaska cackles. He seems a bit nervous.

“Humans can backstab you. And that’s why they should fear you, my Lord! They’re too imperfect for you, my Lord. I mean,” I quickly circle around the taller man. I point out his heavenly features and praise his all-knowing eye.

 “You, are the very definition of perfection. Those eyes that see all of eternity! And such body. Strong and confident.” I make a deep bow before the God.

 “S-so, about that Sampo.”

“Ah, yes, yes. I will show you soon. But then you’ll have to speak to lord Olli too. I assume he wants to see it was well!” I quickly nod.

 “I, eh, will do that right away!” Jaska declares.  “Let me find him. Right now.”

“As you wish, my Lord!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Jaska and Jari did get frisky in this chapter lol


	15. Jungle Jumbo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small intermezzo again lol

This island was definitely not made for people like Petri Suomi and his men.

Their cavalry and ammunition and armours are heavy and hot in this merciless sun and flora. Even with their swords it’s difficult to hack their way through the jungle.

Traces of the con men are difficult to find most of the time but Petri, out of pure spite, wants to keep going. Besides, this could become the New World he dreamt about conquering. For the hundredth time they’ve set up a camp and Suomi resides inside one of the more luxurious tents. With purified water, he’s good to go for the night.

He looks at the map in front of him. There seems to be no logic in the trail his captives have taken so far. “However, I’ll find these bastards and make them work my ground until they die,” he grunts to himself. Quickly he takes a look outside. His men are starting to get exhausted. Some of the provisions are already gone. This isn’t going too well. Luckily, they haven’t encountered much wild life nor any locals to deal with. It’s only them against the flora. But Suomi is a persistent man who doesn’t quit until he gets what he wants. And he wants those two idiot con men alive.


	16. The Game has begun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally a fun moment.... or not for our Gods?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol not proof read becos im lazy

Jaska eventually finds Olli at a square with kids. Ukko and even Tapio are present while Olli is tossing a ball around and the kids run after it wildly.

The taller man is quickly joined by Jari who stands behind him. Both of them frown. The blond conman lets the ball pass when he notices his friend. Looking at Jari doesn’t give him much answers.

 “What are you doing here?” Jaska snarls.

“Just having fun? I did nothing wrong!” Olli argues. The kids now have stopped playing with the ball too and quietly retreat to the background. They watch how this scenario will play out.

 “What happened to staying low, huh?”

“What happened to having fun while we’re on an adventure,” Olli huffs. Then he peers at Jari. “And what happened to our persona rule about, you know?” The smaller man nudges his head toward the other man. Jaska opens his mouth, but then closes it.

 “It’s not what you think it is,” he mutters.

“I think I know exactly what’s going on,” Olli snaps back. His playful face gets replaced by an equal frown.

 “I’m sorry Olli, we can explain and-,” Jari starts but gets interrupted by yet another voice. It’s the High Priest.

 “There you are, my Lords!” he exclaims. He is wearing his bear skull again, giving him an even more intimidating look. “I was looking for you two together. But I see you’ve busied yourself fin this… ball thing.”

Olli only nods while Jaska remains static. The Priest chuckles and shakes his head. “Come with me. I’ll show you how to really _play_ a game of ball!”

 

A few minutes later the four men have walked to another place. Three huge walls make up for a closed off playing field. On the left wall there’s a ring put against it. The ring is lifted high, almost on the upper edge of the wall.

 “This is how you play a game!” the High Priest exclaims. On the side without a wall, are several benches for the public to watch. Snellman proceeds to call Lintukoto’s local sports team. A group of ten, well build men and women. They look threatening with their scowls and looks.

Jaska pokes Olli. “And now what?”

 “I-, I dunno”, Olli says in a low whisper.

“Now we will play the Game of Gods!” the High Priest announces proudly.

 “So… What are the rules again,” Jaska hesitatingly asks. It earns him a frown of the Priest.

“I-, thought you’d know? As the maker of these rules? Anyway, it seems staying here with us on this mere earth, has made you rather… forgetful.”

 

The rules are actually simple. You need to get the ball and throw it through the ring on top of that left wall. Every time you score, a piece of gold gets put on a staircase. The first team to have their stairs filled with gold, wins. And all that, you have to achieve before the shadow of the centre wall reaches a line on the ground.

 

“Let’s begin!” The High Priest screams in pure delight. Before Olli and Jaska can really process what to do, the opposite team storms toward the ball and catches it immediately. Even their horse, who is magically allowed to be on the field too, is overwhelmed by it all.

In the first ten minutes the opposite team has already scored three golden clumps. Meanwhile Jaska and Olli get basically run over by the feisty sports men and women. They get thrown from side to side and have to make agonizing runs from one side of the field, all the way to the other. Jari tries to encourage both gods from the side line with Tapio.

 “Use your hip, Jaska!” he yells. The taller man tries to do as he’s recommended and it helps him get the ball passed to his partner.

Olli manages to jump onto Ukko and with the combined force he is able to throw the ball much higher than usual. Still, no luck and the ball misses the ring. The impact makes the ball bounce to the side line where a whole bucket with spare balls are stored. The armadillo has just escaped Jari and is now chilling in the bucket. When Jari realizes how much Tapio looks like the ball the people are playing with, he gets an idea. He quickly takes Tapio instead of a normal ball and whispers to the animal. “Do your best to help our Gods, alright? You’re a king after all!”

 Now the young man throws Tapio into the field and the little creature immediately does what it’s asked.

 Immediately there’s a change in the game. Jaska and Olli seem to have luck on their side now. The ball is less likely to fall into the hands of the sports team. It’s a bedazzling, chaotic sight.

The audience goes wild every time their Gods score a new point. Even the High Priest is really enjoying the game now. Soon the duo and their horse have caught up on the amount of gold the other team won so far.

The shadow closes in on the finish line but Jaska and Olli think they could keep going with Jari’s cheeky help and Tapio’s full commitment to the game.

 

Time seems to go faster when the power is on their side. The shadow is almost touching the finish line and Tapio, totally drunk of all the throwing and rolling, rolls to the side line. Jari, in his excitement, picks the animal up and cheers when he throws him to Olli. With shock in his eyes, Jari then finds out he didn’t throw Tapio into the field at all, but just a regular ball. He tries to warn his friends but the conmen don’t seem to notice at all. They’ve mounted Ukko, and now with the regular ball in their hands they casually play along still. As if they still have Tapio on their side.

 “We’re getting _good_!” Jaska laughs.

“Godly good,” Olli adds with a fat grin.

Then the two men notice Jari on the side with Tapio in his hands. Olli gulps and by his short distraction, he doesn’t catch the ball. Instead, the thing hits him hard against his temple. The ball luckily gets caught by Ukko who staggers, and uses his back hooves to kick the ball back into Jaska’s lap.

 “It’s almost over!” the High Priest informs the people.

“We have one hit. Hit or lose,” Jaska hisses. The horse leads them to the wall with the ring. Jaska gives Olli his hands as a springplank and launches him into the air. Olli uses the extra height and successfully pushes the ball through the ring, giving them the winning point.

The crowd cheers loudly and then the High Priest walks onto the field. The other team now kneels in front of the two gods and the Priest. Their heads are lowered in defeat.

 “As expected, our Gods have won the game!”

Again, the audience applauds and yells in delight. Olli and Jaska relish in the moment before their attention goes back to the High Priest.

 “My lords, what will we do now? A sacrifice of course! Beheading or limb by limb? To you, the choice.” A devilish smirk is displayed on the Priest’s lips.

Before Jaska can hold back his friend, Olli separates himself from the crowd and walks over to the sports team. He gestures them to stand up again.

 “Alright, from now on I’ll make this loud and clear: _no more sacrifices anymore!_ Not now, not ever! These people have played with their hearts and lives on the line, but no longer do they have to linger in fear of defeat and death. That goes for everyone!” Olli now also points at the audience.

 “These people shouldn’t live in fear, sir High Priest. Everyone is free to go and live as they want! Blood should not be shed to please us anymore!”

 “B-but, sir O-Olli-”

“ _No more_. I don’t know what has been going on in those centuries I wasn’t here, but it doesn’t please me at all. So you can shove those weird rituals up where they came from. Are. We. Clear?”

Olli confronts the Priest face to face. He scowls, still panting from the intensity of the game.

The High Priest takes a step back and gulps. He observes his God, who is so much different than he had hoped for and expected. The man’s shock, turns into an insincere smirk.

 “As you demand, my Lord.” Defeated the High Priest retreats to his temple while the people of Lintukoto now celebrate their Gods and Olli’s stance against their religious leader’s malicious rituals and rules.


	17. Gods do not bleed

I saw it with my own two eyes. Blood. Sir Olli was bleeding from his temple. A thick, red liquid running down his face as he dared to oppose me and my practices.

I sigh when I get back to the temple. I guess these ‘gods’ will never get their filthy, _earthly_ hands on my beloved Sampo. I had my doubts earlier on, but this is just clear proof Jaska and Olli are _not_ what they say they are. I turn to my large runestone that stands in the middle of the temple. The large rock has special, magical runes carved into it and also a depiction of the Gods. Suddenly I feel someone else’s presence. For a moment I hold my breath, until I realize it’s none other than Markus.

I smile and exhale again.

 “Markus, I thought you had taken a rest from your duties as my right-hand man?”

“Well, I did. B-but I wanted to check up on you.”

 “My dear Markus, did you see the game today?”

“I didn’t.”

 “Oh, you should have. I’ve made a humongous revelation!” I reply bitterly.

“Really?”

 “Yes, really!” I turn around and gesture Markus to come closer. Hesitatingly he does so. I wonder if he’s going to betray me. He’s leaning more toward Olli’s words. But maybe I can convince him to stay on my side.

 “You see, dear Markus, I’ve come to realize something. You see this picture?” I point at the mural of the Gods. My helper nods.

 “Those are the Gods. Olli and Jaska. As the prophecy foretold.”

I nod. “And you know what makes a God and what not?”

 “Ehm, well.. A god should be, eh, rightful and-,” Markus keeps blabbering nonsense. This is taking me too long so I reply for him instead.

 “ _Gods do **not** bleed!”_ To give my words more power, I take out my sacrificial knife and cut my own hand. With my own blood I paint the faces of the false gods in a dark red.

 “O-oh okay. So w-what else did you discover?” Markus stammers.

I walk over to him and with my bleeding hand, I grasp his chin and make him look into my eyes.

I hiss: “I discovered that our beloved Gods are not Gods at all! They’re just filthy, little creatures called human. They’re like us but less. They’ve tricked us all into thinking they were all mighty and what-not. But in fact, they do _bleed_! Sir Olli got injured during the game and I saw the red seep from his head!”

For a moment it gets quiet between the both of us until Markus dares to speak up.

 “So what do you plan to do now?”

“I’m afraid I have to resort to stronger measures. I have to take the future into my own hands. Cleanse the world of these unholy imposters! But first, I need to find the best way to do so.”

 Markus gives me my special book of prophecies.

I turn the pages, come across the prophecy of the foreign ruler and then something else is stuck with me. The Year of the Bear. A large monster in the form of our beloved Bear. This looks rather promising and even more fitting as it truly is the Bear’s Year.

 “I think I have found a solution,” I tell Markus and command him to help me with the preparations.


	18. The time inbetween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three more days the duo has to hold up in Lintukoto.
> 
> Now that the High Priest is out of the picture, Jaska allows himself some fun outside as well.

*******

 

Olli and Jaska are getting pampered in attention at the local spa. Their hair gets washed thoroughly and their skin gets scrubbed nicely. They both relax with a cool piece of cloth on their foreheads.

 “This truly is the life, partner,” Jaska sighs.

Olli smiles and grunts in response. “Yes. Even Ukko is getting a nice treatment!” Outside, their horse indeed gets fed fresh apples and mangoes by enthusiastic kids. The women of the town braid the horse’s manes while the men put golden horseshoes on Ukko. Tapio profits from the fallen fruit.

 

In the evening there’s another feast organized by Marko. He teaches Olli the custom dances.

 “May I take the lead?” the Chief asks.

Olli blushes and accepts. While they set the example, Jaska and Jari quietly watch from the side, trying to memorize the steps before trying the dance themselves.

 

*******

 

Together with Olli, Jaska feeds the giant birds on the hill. Jari joins them soon. The younger man knows all the names of these birds.

 “You’re more knowledgeable than I thought,” Jaska smirks.

Jari rolls his eyes. “I didn’t have much to do here before you two came here, so might as well get myself smart.”

Olli then watches Jaska and Jari trail off a little. He grunts and looks at Ukko instead. “I think we’re done here. Let’s go to the Chief, and see what he’s up to.”

He jumps on his horse, takes Tapio with him too and goes to the riverside where the boat is being built. The blond is actually amazed by the rapidness of work.  You can actually stand inside the boat already.

 

“Lord Olli, great to see you here. What do you think?” Marko immediately greets the other man and shakes his hand before pulling him into a hug.

 “Good, good. Work’s quick!”

“It sure is. Already the second day. Tomorrow it should be done,” Marko sighs. Olli sighs too. He takes a quick tour around the deck. He goes to the railing and inspects the wood. With both hands he grasps it and starts pulling.

 “Everything alright?” Marko asks with concern in his eyes.

“Yeah. I just don’t know… if-, if this is too weak perhaps?”

 “Too weak? This is the strongest wood we could provide you with, my Lord! Of course I could see if we can strengthen it with other materials or-”

 “I-it’s fine. B-but what about the mast? And, this, eh… rope? Don’t you think it’s too short and all? And you know,” Olli blabbers away, trying to find more weaknesses of this already perfect build of a boat. Even Petri Suomi would be jealous of the quality.

 Marko chuckles and gestures Olli to come over to him again. “You know, lord Olli, if you want to stay, you just have to tell me.”

Olli’s eyes widen. There’s hope and longing visible in all that blue. “Really?! I mean, well… Jaska wants to go home to Fi- to the Godly realm. And, and-”

 “I see. It’s alright, Olli. You can always decide tomorrow. Just know it’s alright to make the wrong judgement, make some mistakes. It’s only human for us to do so.”

With those words, Marko walks away and Olli remains on the boat, baffled by what the Chief just said.

 

\--

 

Around the late afternoon Jaska and Jari retreat to the temple again. Jaska is already counting some of the gold and collecting it in bags.

 “So, have you thought of it yet?” Jari suddenly says.

“What?”

 “The deal. How much am I getting? One third? Sounds fair?”

“Whoa, whoa wait there,” Jaska jumps up from his pile of gold and walks over to Jari. “Whoever talked about money?”

 “I think I’ve earned it,” Jari frowns and crosses his arms.

“We could help you get out of here. _That_ was the deal! We never talked about money,” Jaska snorts in defence. It gives him an annoyed face in return.

 “ _Unless_ Olli wants to stay here forever. He seems to love it here more than I do,” the taller man then mutters. “In that case we share the gold between the two of us.”

 “Just the two of us?”

“Yes. We’ll sail away together after we get the Sampo. We don’t need him!” Jaska seems a tad too excited about that. Luckily he doesn’t see Olli standing behind the wall but the blond is quick to retreat.

 “I-, shit.” Jari grunts.

“Something the matter?” Jaska stammers confused. Jari sighs.

 “I feel like I’ve fucked you two up. I mean, we, you two. I came in between whatever you two had, didn’t I?”

 “No, you didn’t you-,” Jaska voice fails as he realizes he actually _is_ leaving Olli behind. Fuck.

“I did. We should talk about it with Olli. I don’t want our relation to continue like this. I should have never seduced you and-, we’ll have to work this out. Else I won’t feel good,” Jari sighs and decides.

Jaska agrees with a somewhat ashamed nod. “Yes, we’ll have to. Tomorrow we’ll finish all that we started. You, me, Olli and my act.”


	19. A monstrosity!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get heated from now on

Markus is sitting next to the potion pool. He is preparing a special brew that will grant his master magnificent powers. He is humming while stirring the green liquid.

 “Hot, hot,” he mutters.

Suddenly the High Priest stands behind him. “Is it ready?”

 “Almost, I think!” Markus quickly replies. Carefully he puts a small bowl into the drink. He tops it off with some side decoration and gives it to Jani with a smile.

A bit sceptical, the High Priest takes the drink. He stirs in it with a straw while looking at the large statue of the bear that stands proudly in the corner of the temple.

 “Soon its power will be mine,” Jani murmurs before chugging the whole drink down in one go.

His henchman looks hopeful but soon gets disappointed. The High Priest grimaces and spits out half of the drink. The rest gets thrown to the ground, cup shattering on the impact.

 “Yikes, something’s missing. It ain’t right yet.” Jani quickly flips through his book and looks at the image of the man stirring in the broth.

 “I see,” Jani smirks and ogles Markus, who is changing the brew a bit. The High Priest casually walks over to the other man before kicking him into the pool.

 “The potion needed _more body!_ ”

Immediately the liquid turns purple and lightning bolts emit from it. They grasp hungrily onto the High Priest who gets quickly electrocuted.

The force pushes the man against the rune statue. Jani feels the newly acquainted power rush through his entire body. The purple makes his veins stand out even more. Rune like symbols spread over his chest and spread to his abdomen, legs and arms. For a second his eyes glow a hateful purple too. The lines shoot out over the floor and connect all the way up to the bear statue. Its eyes lit up like Jani’s.

Then the symbols on the Priest’s body disappear and Jani falls over. Now kneeling, he huffs and has to recover from the intense shock. He is quick in recuperating and stares at the statue. It’s coming loose from its stone foot.

 “ **Ahahah, yes!** ” Jani exclaims. He heaves up his right arm and watches as the bear statue now lifts its right arm as well. He repeats the motion with his left arm and again the bear follows.

 “ **Now do as I command!** ” The Priest orders the beast. Once and for all he will deal with those human bastards pretending to be some gods.

When he looks at himself, the High Priest wonders if _he_ himself might not be closer to the gods than any other mere human. With this power. This knowledge.

 Just to see the Bear’s power, Jani commands it to rip the rune statue in half. With delight he sees how the image of the fake gods get destroyed in the blink of an eye.

 

\--

 

Around the same time Jaska nor Olli are aware of any danger. Even Jari, who accompanied them, seems to be unaware of the threat. Instead they’re all at the town’s square watching some theatre play.

Olli is frowning and having his arms crossed.

 “What’s the matter?” Jaska asks confused.

“Nothing,” his friend snaps back and gives him the cold shoulder. It makes the taller man turn to the other guy.

 Jari shrugs his shoulders. He seems a bit lost too. This might not be a good moment to discuss relations and affairs.

 “Later tonight. When we’re at the temple,” Jari whispers, still watching the blond man. Jaska nods in agreement.

 “Hey, Olli. Is it alright if we talk tonight about some things?” he carefully tries.

His companion rolls his eyes, sighs but reluctantly nods. “If there are even things to discuss still.”

 “Well, a lot, actually. The gold, the money. Of course the Sampo and-”

“You want to drop me and run off with Jari?” Olli then fires back.

 “Olli, please don’t be mad-, shit I mean… I want you to know I didn’t foresee this either?”

“And what about you, huh, Jari?” Olli shoots the other man a meaningful glare.

 “We want to work this out. We’re sorry,” Jari stammers before his whole face turns pale. With a trembling finger he points at something behind the trio. Suddenly people are screaming and running. And as if in slow motion, Olli and Jaska look at where Jari’s pointing. Out of the temple of the High Priest, a humongous bear statue has busted. It’s growling and stands on two feet, the other two clawing at the sky. Smoke emits from the broken temple as well. A truly terrifying sight.

 The two conmen screech in fear and Jari hides behind his own chair.

Olli then takes the lead. He jumps out of his chair and pulls Jaska along. Jari quickly follows.

 “Ukko!” the blond screams. Luckily the horse is close by and runs toward them. All three jump on board and Tapio clutches onto Jari’s shoulder as Ukko sprints off.

 “Looks like we’ve angered someone,” Jaska exclaims. He’s half laughing because of the stress.

“You know what? I think if we make it out alive, I think I can sit down with you two and talk!” Olli declares as they make their escape from the unleashed monster.


	20. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story is coming to end, isn't it :')

Soon the Bear is catching up on them. Ukko runs up some stairs but the Bear’s wild paw motions, make the stone underneath them crumble down.

 “Come on, you can do it!” Olli encourages the horse. Even with the Bear literal a meter away from them, they still have to try.

Ukko, who isn’t a stupid horse, takes its change to kick one of the Bear’s glowing eyes. The glass eye cracks and somewhere near, they can hear the High Priest hiss.

The group assumes the vision of the Bear affects the Priest’s own sight as well.

 “Good job, Ukko!” Olli pats the horse’s flank before they finally find solid ground again. However, the chase doesn’t stop there yet. The stone statue may be big, it knows how to climb up the destroyed stairs anyway. The trembling earth shows new cracks, caused by the plump beast’s weight. It causes Ukko to lose balance and almost fall. It causes Jari to accidentally slip of the horse and onto the ground. The Bear approaches and stands on its two feet. Just as it’s about to crush Jari underneath its paws, Jaska and Olli jump to Jari’s rescue. They distract the beast by throwing some rocks at it.

 “Hey, tough guy! We’re here!” Jaska shouts.

“It’s us you’re after right?” Olli screams and throws a few other rocks that luckily hit their target.

It surely catches the Bear’s attention. In the meantime Jari takes that chance to crawl away from the monster and reunite with Ukko and Tapio. Olli nods at the other guy and Ukko.

  _Take Jari to a safe place._

The words are merely murmured but everybody understands.

 

“I thought you hated him.”

 “I don’t. Not really. And I figured, if you wanted to talk, you probably regretted some things. After all, Jari has helped us a great deal. Now let’s get going!” Olli says as they’re running again.

The whole chase has caused the world to rumble and crumble. At one point the duo reaches a large open landscape. The cracks show lava. Shit.

 “Stay close to me!” Jaska exclaims.

Without hesitation Olli grabs his companion’s hand as they run across a field of lava. The Bear is once more close to them. This time its massive body works against itself. The thing almost drowns in the pool of lava. Jaska and Olli manage to use the still floating parts of the beast to get away from the burning place.

Once at safer ground, they have to catch their breath. Sweat is pouring down their faces and necks. Clothes are covered in dirt and sweat.

 “W-we’ve made it,” Olli smiles, already to look for Jari.

But before he knows it, his partner grabs him and jumps away. Now Olli sees the Bear emerge from the pool. Damn it, they cheered to soon. Due to their agility and smaller postures, the conmen are difficult to catch and they have it easier to navigate through Lintukoto.

 “Should we go to the temple?” Olli asks.

Jaska frowns but shakes his head. “I doubt that monster will let us. After we’ve dealt with that, we could try of course.”

 

The breath stealing chase leads them finally to the offering site. The vortex beneath them growls and howls louder than usual. It looks much darker too. The water almost resembles black bile.

Completely out of breath and a place to run to, Jaska and Olli crash down the concrete. The Bear stands in front of them, blocking their only possible escape.

 Evil laughter is heard.

From behind the stone statue, the High Priest finally appears. Behind his skeletal mask, purple glisters. Once the glow disappears, the light in the eyes of the Bear also extinguish. For now, it won’t pose a threat.

 “Finally I’ve caught you. I know what you are and what you are _not_. **And you are no gods!** ” the High Priest hisses at them.

 “Thought you’d never find out,” Olli manages to joke in the face of near defeat.

“W-wait a second. Y-you are not a God?” Jaska instead stammers. He gives Olli a look. “You _lied_ to me?”

 “Lying? It was _your_ plan to fool these people!” Olli accuses his friend. Both men stand up now. Slowly but sure, they approach Jani who looks equally confused now. Did he read them wrong _again_?

 “Oh really? Maybe so, but _you_ were the asshat who decided to go all out and be like ‘look at me, look at me, I’m a god now’! While I said we should lay low!”

Now Jaska and Olli stand between the statue and the Priest. They give each other hateful looks.

 “Look where this con got us. Your childish behaviour put both of us in danger!” Jaska snarls.

“At least I didn’t betray you with another guy,” Olli snaps.

Jaska tries to open his mouth to say something back but realizes he might deserved that. The guys keep bickering and start to even push each other. The High Priest seems to enjoy the sudden discourse between these mortal men.

The blond then slaps his ‘former friend’ in the face. It causes Jaska to give Olli a punch in the stomach.

 “Ow, good punch,” Jani smirks.

 “Wanna finish it like this, huh?” Olli spits at Jaska. The taller man wipes off some dirt from his face and nods.

 “Why not? Ex-friend!”

Then both men go in for a final kick. But instead of going for each other, they direct their combined blow to the High Priest. Totally off-guard, Jani gets knocked down. He feels his nose crack, followed by seeping blood.

 “He is down! Tie him up!” Olli screams.

Jaska is already trying to use the liana that hang off the offering block. Before the duo can do so, Jani activates the Bear again who then jumps them. The weight makes the platform crack and slowly crumble down. Jani did not foresee that. He screams as the floor underneath him starts to give away. The duo who tricked him, are faster in reflexes and jump off the platform just in time. They catch the lianas from the part of the platform that still is intact. Meanwhile Jani goes down with his own creation. Soon he disappears into the vortex. His screams get drowned in the water.

 “That’s a fitting end to him,” Jaska mutters as he stares into the chaotic water beneath them.

Olli mutters something before climbing up in silence. The other man quickly joins him.

Once they emerge from the broken platform, they’re greeted by the people of Lintukoto again. Ukko, Tapio and Jari await them as well. There’s loud cheering.

 “You guys made it!” Jari cheers as he embraces Jaska. Quickly he detaches himself from the man and coughs awkwardly. “Guess we should discuss some things now, huh?”

Olli frowns but nods. “Yeah. Let’s go to the temple. It’s still intact, right?”

 “Yeah.”


	21. Conqueror of the New World

And then there was water all around me. Some of it even filling my lungs and blinding my eyes.

Cruelly my body got swung around like a ragdoll. Sometimes I felt stones and other debris hit me, scratching my skin. Maybe for the first time I felt fear.

 

By the time I emerge from the water, it’s silent, quiet again. No more turmoil. My beloved skull crown is broken, gone with the Bear itself. I’ve stranded somewhere out of Lintukoto. I recognize I’m close to the waterfall that leads to my homeland. Much time to think, I don’t get. Suddenly a sharp projectile is pointed at my chin. When I look up, I’m met with a dozen of men. The person who holds the sword, is intimidating. He is wearing an armour of metal, shining plates.

My eyes widen as I recognize this man from the book of prophecies. It’s the foreign ruler. It all makes sense now.

 “Where’d you get that?” the foreign man speaks a familiar tongue. I see he is pointing to the golden bracelets. I smirk.

 “I can show you,” I say.

“Very well. My name is Petri Suomi, leader of the Finnish Conquerors. Remember me well. Make sure you’ll be useful to me, else you’ll be beheaded or worse.”

 “I’ll make it worth your time. Our people possess an unbelievable amount of wealth,” I reply in all humbleness. Maybe I’ve finally found a real god in the flesh of Petri Suomi.

 “Then get up and walk.”

As we’re walking, I wonder if lord Suomi knows the conmen. Carefully I ask. “Sir Suomi, by chance you aren’t in search of two men, right?”

 “Are you implying you know these conmen from Finland? A small blondie and a taller brunet? I need them alive.”

 “Then I can deliver you both: these people and the money you’re looking for,” I confidently reply.

And so I lead the way to the downfall of my former home Lintukoto.


	22. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olli, Jaska and Jari try to sort things out between them.

The trip to the temple is spend in silence. The people of Lintukoto give the trio some space and privacy once more. While Marko tries to explain the recent events to his people, the three men have another plate in front of them. The talk.

 Ukko and Tapio lay in the corner of the temple, still catching their breaths from the chase. Olli has seated himself on the throne while Jaska and Jari sit on a couch next to him.

 

“Before we go through the big talk, I’d like to thank you for saving my ass back there,” Jari outs.

Jaska smirks and points his thumb at his blond friend. “You’ll have to thank mainly Olli for that. He started throwing those rocks. I was too in panic to properly come up with that.”

 Olli rolls his eyes, trying to tone down the praise.

“Thank you so much, Olli,” Jari genuinely smiles. Then the smile turns into a lowered face. “And what did I ever do to you? I seduced Jaska and-”

 “I’m guilty of that too. For giving into you etc,” Jaska joins in. He looks at his partner. “We’re sorry Olli. My feelings and attraction were too strong. I should’ve involved you too.”

 Jari nods.

“God, I’m so sorry. Fuck. And here I was the one to actually say Jari was off limits,” Jaska mutters, clearly ashamed of his actions. It stays quiet for a while. Everyone is thinking and reflecting on the past couple of days.

 Eventually it’s Olli breaking the silence. “So… Jaska, are we still partners, though?”

“Of course!” There’s no hesitation in the taller man’s voice whatsoever. That makes the blond smile.

 “We can try to figure out how to make this work, right? Because I’ll be honest, I love both of you.”

“I see,” Olli chuckles. “Emotions aren’t easy to control. So we’ll have to live with that. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll make it work… somehow.”

Then Jari looks at the blond man. “And what are we, Olli? I will try to repay you in actions.”

 “We can try to be friends. I mean. I could’ve easily let you lay there, for the Priest’s beast to kill. But I didn’t. I did it for a reason. You’ve become someone I care about. You’ve been a good ally and maybe even a friend to me too. You’ve helped us a lot. And you helped me escape Jaska’s eye so I could explore the city.”

 “So that whole seduction was to distract me?!” Jaska exclaims, slightly offended.

The smaller men laugh in unison and nod.

 “And you’ve taught me to understand the culture of Lintukoto so much more. And now I’ve fallen in love with this place,” Olli continues.

 “You want to stay?” Jaska understands.

“Yeah.”

Jaska walks over to the stairs and stares out over the city. City of gold and splendour and birds. Even the smoke the Bear has left, has its certain beauty in this purplish night sky. Maybe his partner is right and maybe they should stay. But on the other hand, he longs to be back in Finland. Even though it’s so much colder there in winter times.

 “I-, I don’t know, Olli.”

“It’s fine. I made up my mind. I’m going to stay here. And you… you and Jari can leave if you want to.”

Both guys are shook by Olli’s decision. Is he serious? But Olli seems really serious about it.

 “I’m fine. Really. I sure as hell miss you. But now that we can part on good ends, I’ve made peace with that decision.”

Jaska stares at the floor. “Tomorrow Jari and I will leave. You can still make up your mind, okay?”

 “Same goes for you.” 


	23. Friends Never Say Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finallly Olli and Jaska's story comes to an end :')

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from the Road to El Dorado's OST :D  
> You should def give it a try

The following morning is eerily quiet. Jari and Jaska are already gathering some of the gold and putting it in bags, bringing it to the boat by the time Olli wakes up. The room suddenly got emptier.

 “You going to help us?” Jaska suddenly breaks the silent.

Olli yawns and shakes his head. “I’m still tired. I’m sorry. But don’t worry, I’ll have my goodbye with you. I will miss you.”

Jaska frowns but decides to not further the conversation. Instead he fills a new sack with objects. “Anything you want to keep?”

“Not really. Say, we still haven’t found the Sampo though.”

 “Aw, shit. Do you still think it’s in the Priest’s temple?”

“We can go look. You still have time, right?”

 “Yeah. We didn’t have a strict timing in our heads anyway,” Jaska mutters.

 

When the duo walks down the stairs, they’re greeted by Jari. “Morning! Where you two headed to?”

 “We’re collecting the Sampo The darn thing we came here for in the first place,” Jaska replies.

“I’ll join you.”

At the foot of the gods’ temple, Marko awaits them. “The boat is almost filled, lord Jaska!”

 “I see. We still need one more thing, though.”

“The Sampo”, Jari adds.

 “Oh, I see. Come with me. I have to show you something.”

Without question, the group follows the Chief. As expected, they go to the temple of the former Priest. The trio shivers at the sight of the broken runestone with blood smeared on it.

 “This place… The Priest went to Tuonela yearly. The Land of the Dead,” Jari mutters with distaste.

“Yes. I should’ve foreseen his nature,” Marko regrets. “B-but… He was a childhood friend of mine. But I should’ve known, prevented.”

 “It’s alright,” Olli reassures the Chief. He carefully lays a hand on the taller man’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Had we not come here…”

 “Maybe then this would’ve happened anyway. You’ve released our people from Jani’s grip. Made us see beyond human sacrifices. We should only thank you for your existence.”

They travel deeper into the temple and discover more questionable things. There’s a lot of potions and weird herbs to be found too.

 “You know your way quite well,” Jaska notices.

Marko chuckles. “Don’t worry. Back in the better days, I’ve been here too. Discussing philosophy and the future of our people. But this place has changed so much. Anyway, the Sampo should be near.”

 

The cave is like a maze but luckily Marko is familiar with the older hallways. Finally they arrive in a larger room. It’s filled with wondrous, glowing crystals. They light up the entire place. Everyone is awestruck. Next to the crystals, there’s green everywhere. It’s like an underground greenhouse.

And in the middle of it all, stands something. It’s made of wood, but overgrown by the plants and crystals.

 Olli and Jaska get upon close. “So… This is-”

“This is our Sampo. The mythical artefact that grants us wealth and prosper,” Marko finishes their sentence.

 “It- it’s completely consumed by the surrounding,” Olli stammers.

“Quite the opposite. This is where it all began,” Jari whispers as he comes to understand more.

 “It’s-, it’s like a beating heart,” Jaska now remarks. The roots that are attached to the strange artefact are pulsating. In fact, the whole room is pulsating. Like a heart indeed.

 Olli gulps.

“So that means… we can’t take it? If we do so then Lintukoto would be undone?”

 “I fear so. We never tried. Jani said it would be too risky now that our land has been connected, _merged_ with the Sampo.”

Suddenly Jaska laughs very loud, taking everybody by surprise.

 “I can’t believe it! This whole time we were after the very _heart_ of Lintukoto. We’re the worst people! It’s almost hilarious. Hilariously sad how low we are!”

 “But we can still do the right thing,” Olli then insists.

“Yeah, of course. We’ll leave it be.” Jaska then turns to the Chief. “Please, now that the Priest is gone, protect this thing with your life.”

 “I will,” Marko confidently replies.

 

\--

 

The boat is ready to leave. The gold has been secured with ropes. Whole Lintukoto is watching as Jaska and Jari make their departure. Olli stand next to Marko. Ukko stays with him.

 “I’m going to miss you,” Olli says.

“I’m going to miss you too,” Jaska says.

The two men go in for a strong, intimate hug, followed by a passionate kiss. Jari wipes away a tear. He hugs Olli too. “I’ll make sure Jaska won’t do stupid things.”

 That makes the blond laugh.

“Good, good. I will try to not fuck up things here either. Farewell.” As he watches his friend and lifelong partner leave, Olli feels something in his throat. Tears stream down his face. Marko pulls him closer, patting his shoulder. Jaska is weeping as well but he tries to stay strong. They wave at everybody on the coast.

The scene gets disrupted by a bang, somewhere on the island. In shock Olli stares at a large, black cloud not so far from the city. Could it be-

 A civilian runs toward their Chief. Pure fright is readable in their eyes. The citizen clutches onto Marko’s robes, as if it were protection.

 “Chief… They-, I-”

“Calm down. What’s going on?”

 “Jani. He _lives_. A-and he is leading a whole army of men to Lintukoto.”

“Petri Suomi!” Olli immediately lays the connection. “Jaska! Stop! We’re in trouble!”

The Chief frowns and then turns to his people. He raises his arm and yells: “Everybody! Prepare for a fight! Those who can’t, stay in your homes. Those who can, stand with me!”

 Without hesitating, Olli pulls the Chief’s arm down. “ _NO!_ We don’t stand a chance against Suomi and his men! They’re armed with… lethal weapons, superior than our swords and shields!”

Shit, Olli has seen the cruelties of Suomi on that ship. He doesn’t want the people of Lintukoto to witness such evil man, to witness the possible destruction of this beautiful land. The land he has come to call his own. Shit, this is bad. He looks at his partner for answers.

 Jaska is already on the case.

He sits down on the boat with Jari. He has made two piles of gold clumps that resemble the entrance to Lintukoto: the two pillars. A golden cup with dice represents the boat with gold.

 “So this is the boat. These are the pillars. What can we do?”

Jari observes but can’t find an answer.

 “This is the boat! These are the pillars!” Jaska frustrates in the fact he can’t come up with a plan. They don’t have much time.

 “Think, Jaska, think!” he snarls at himself.

“You got a plan?” Olli shouts from the ground.

 “Not yet! Let me think!” Jaska shouts back.

“Fuck, I don’t have a plan!”

Tapio, who’s with them, gets stressed out by the human’s agitation. Distraught, the creature accidentally knocks down Jaska’s cup. The cup rolls over to the pillars. The dice and the cup together knock down the gold towers.

 “That’s it!” Jaska suddenly sees the answers in the mess Tapio created. He picks up the armadillo and jumps up to face the Chief and Olli. He holds Tapio in the air.

With regained confidence he declares: “I got a plan!”

 

They’re going to ram the columns down with the help of the people. It will close the gate entrance and after the boat entered the gates, from there on, they’ll ram the remaining cave opening to Lintukoto with the boat itself. That’s the only plan.

In no time, sturdy ropes are attached to the pillars. Two large tree trunks serve as the battering rams that will knock down the pillars.

 “You hold that rope until the battering rams have done their work!” Marko commands.

Marko counts while the boat of Jaska and Jari slowly approaches the gate.

 “Now!” Marko shouts.

The battering rams knock down the stone foundations of the pillars. A chain reaction is set in motion. Slowly the large structures start to crumble and fall down.

 “We’re going too slow!” Jaska screams.

“The sail, use the sail!” Jari yells as he can’t do it, for he is the steersman.

Jaska runs forward and pulls the rope to untie the sail. Shit. It’s stuck. Olli, who witnesses it all from the side line gasps: “They won’t make it in time.” This is bad. If the boat won’t proceed, they’ll be crushed by the pillars coming down on them.

 “Halt!” Marko then yells. With all their men power, they try to stop the pillars from collapsing prematurely. It takes effort but even a hundred of people can’t stop the pillars that much.

Olli takes it upon himself to rescue his friends and Lintukoto.

 “Ukko! I need your help!”

The horse quickly comes to his aid. Before he knows it, Olli is already racing on the back of the horse to the boat. He has an advantage, he is on a higher platform than the boat. A well calculated jump should do the trick. The horse runs along the breaking pillars and closer to the boat.

 “What the-, Olli!” Jaska screams in shock as he sees his friend approach.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Jari yelps.

But Olli isn’t kidding anyone. He takes the leap of faith. For a moment it looks like he is soaring. He gets a good hold of the sail and with his weight he pulls it all the way down. Immediately the thing catches wind and the boat advances more quickly.

Relieved, Marko and the other men release the ropes so the pillars can fully crumble down.

 “Olli, you idiot!” Jaska snaps. “Get the fuck off the boat or you can’t see Lintukoto ever again!”

His friend sheepishly laughs and shrugs his shoulders.

 “What can I say? I don’t trust my husband to you,” Olli winks at Jari who gulps and blushes.

“Well, now we can _really_ try to make this work. I think I’ve grown to like and admire you more too, Olli.”

 Jaska shakes his head and grins. “Idiot.”

“I couldn’t leave you. We’re partners till death do us part,” Olli smiles. “Come on, we got a wave to catch.” He throws Jaska a rowing paddle.

The large wave caused by the collapsed pillars, speed up the process big time. Jaska, Olli and Jari have to work hard to manoeuvre the boat into the right direction.

 

The cave is dangerous with its stalagmites and stalactites.  A big stalactite even crushes the mast and sail, leaving the men with less movability in the otherwise plump boat.

 “Shit, shit, we’re close to the exit!” Jari exclaims.

“Get yourself ready to turn the boat a ninety degrees!” Jaska shouts.

With all their might, they make it happen and everybody gathers at the back of the boat. Readying themselves for the heavy impact they’ll have on the boat crashing into the pillars that form the exit.

 “On three we jump!”

“One.”

 “Two.”

“Three. JUMP!”

Everyone jumps and immediately get dragged into the chaos of the water and waves. It’s a disorienting moment but once the heroes emerge from the water, they’re still breathing. Their effort has paid off. The entrance to the cave that leads to Lintukoto has been destroyed. The whole thing has collapsed, leaving only a rocky wall to see. Parts of the boat wreck are visible. All the gold has been covered by debris on the other side of the ruin.  

 Jaska laughs and then sobs. “All that g-gold. Gone forever.”

“But we made it out alive,” Olli sighs.

The duo then stand up, do a silly dance and congratulate each other on surviving it all. Then Jari pulls Olli’s shirt and puts him down. Jaska follows and sees what’s going on. Suomi, the former Priest and the army have arrived. They’re standing by the large runestone. Jani is leading the way.

 “Quiet,” Jari hisses as the group goes into hiding among the rocky ruins.

 

“Please follow me, sir,” Jani says. His eyes widen in shock when he sees the entrance has been blocked. Small streams of water are still rolling down the wreck.

 “It-, it should be here,” he stammers.

“What’s going on?” Petri Suomi steps closer with his horse and gives Jani a threatening gaze.

 “The e-entrance. This here? This, normally the entrance should be here! It must’ve been destroyed and-”

 “Are you implying you are lying? That there truly is no Lintukoto?” Suomi raises his voice. He blocks Jani’s path and stares him down with utter disappointment.

 “I can explain.”

“Yes, you can. Back on the ship,” the Conqueror snarls. With a firm kick of his foot, he pushes the Pries to the ground.

 “No! No! Lintukoto _is_ real! We-, we just need to find another opening, I swear!”

“Gentlemen, shackle this fraud. _Now_ ,” without mercy Suomi’s men obey their leader and put handcuffs on the Priest.

They drag him away from the ruins. Nobody listens to him anymore, nor do they pay attention to the broken entry. If they’d had, they might’ve seen the group they were looking for.

 Jari winks at Jani as he gets dragged away.

“Stop! Listen to me! Please,” the Priest screams and kicks but it’s no use. He’s only seen as a nuisance.

Once Suomi’s group is fully out of sight and out of hearing range, Jaska, Olli and Jari dare to emerge.

 

 “So, what are we going to do now?” Jaska asks.

 “What do you mean?” Jari questions.

“We don’t have a plan anymore. The Sampo remains at Lintukoto, our gold is gone,” Olli replies.

 “We’ll just have to find a new trail to blaze,” Jari smiles and hops onto Ukko. In the process he grabbed Tapio and put the armadillo in front of him.

 “Come on, guys!”

Olli is the second mounting the horse and then Jaska joins.

 “Let’s follow that path!”

Ukko staggers and both Jaska and Olli slip off the horse, falling onto the ground. Jari, unaware of that lets the animal move forward already.

 “Hey, wait!” Olli shouts.

“Come back! Jari! Tell Ukko to stop!” Jaska yells too as the two men try to catch up.

Their new companion only laughs and teases them a bit before letting them get on again.

 “You ready for new adventures?”

Jaska and Olli give each other a look before answering in unison.

 “Of course we are. We were born explorers! Let’s bring it on!”

 


End file.
